Bonds
by Eve Angel of Fate
Summary: Shortly after the events of the Akatsuki attack on Suna Sakura finds herself inextricably linked to Gaara of the sand by bonds impossible to break. Stuck with his impassive gaze, plagued by nightmares, and isolated from her friends, how will she survive?
1. Change of Plans

-1AN: This takes place right after Shukaku was removed from Gaara. It begins right after the gang returns to Konoha

I happen to love art so I'll be doing periodic illustrations - you can see the cover for this story here: innerflame00 . deviantart . com / art / Bonds - 93537603 (just remove the spaces)

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**Bonds**

**Chapter One: Change of Plans**

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_At that place between darkness and dreaming It waited._

_Cold eyes. Golden and calculating, they gleamed with malicious intent._

_She knew there was no escape. Nowhere she could hide. It was everywhere…It was always watching her; always waiting for that one sweet moment of weakness where it could take over. Snatch her up and devour her whole._

_She knew the instant she broke her gaze with It…It would attack. But just as long as she held it's gaze she knew she still had some control. _

_But she was so sleepy…and It never slept. It could do this forever, but her eyes were drooping. Her will to fight was waning. She couldn't hold off for long._

_She could feel It at the back of her mind, creeping forward. With every blink of an eye it was closer. There was nothing she could do to stop it, and soon it was right in front of her, it's hot breathe like fire on her skin._

_Now she couldn't break it's gaze. Holding it's gaze no longer gave her control but froze her in place. She felt something in her mind tear, and for just a moment she saw herself, her mouth open in a silent scream._

_Then everything went black._

Sakura awoke abruptly, nearly falling to the floor. Her sweaty palms gripped the fabric of the couch as she attempted to steady herself.

She forced her breathing to slow as the nightmare faded from her mind. It had been so real…terrifying and compelling at the same time. Never before had she experienced such a intense nightmare. Why would she start now? She shook her head with a tremulous sigh. Whatever it was, she was better off not dwelling on it.

She stretched out her poor abused muscles with a sleepy yawn. She had been so tired when she arrived that she had fallen asleep the instant her sore muscles had met the soft cushions of her couch. She swore that the couch was a weapon in development; any derrière that met its surface was doomed to be sucked into it's silky depths with no hope of escape. Not that she minded most of the time.

She sat up and sighed. Her stomach made it's hunger known with a deep rumble, but she ignored it. Only now that she was sitting in the quiet of her apartment was she able to process all that had happened in the past few days.

It was overwhelming to say the least. She never thought she would have the ability to win a fight against someone like Sasori, even as a puppet to a great puppet master like Chiyo baa-sama. She had been able to help her friends…yet in the end there was nothing she could do for the old woman who had become so dear to her.

Tears stung her eyes again when she remembered Chiyo baa-sama's last moments as she poured her life into the dead Kazekage. If only there had been something else Sakura could have done for him…but no. Chiyo baa-sama had already used some of her own life force to revive Sakrua. She would have died in the end no matter what Sakura tried.

She stubbornly wiped the errant tears from her face and stood up. A shower was what she needed. Without fail it always calmed her after her missions. But even as the steaming water eased her tense body she knew it wouldn't be enough. Even though there was nothing she could have done, a life had been lost under her watch. Not only that, but she had also sensed something of a kindred spirit in the old woman. What could have been a friendship between two different generations had been cut short.

Sakura sighed and turned off the water, briskly toweling herself dry. Wallowing in grief would get her nowhere. If she didn't want something like that to happen again she needed to start training harder. And with the lead about Sasori's spy she needed to be strong; now more than ever.

With that resolved, she felt a little better. She moved to the kitchen to start some dinner, but as she reached for the pot she hesitated. Everything in her field of vision was moving ever so slightly from side to side, up and down. She squeezed her eyes shut, then slowly opened them. The kitchen was now firmly in place; whatever had happened was over now.

She shook her head slightly. Clearly what she needed was some vitamins, protein, and a good rest. She had to be at her best physical condition for her upcoming mission. They another step closer to finding Sasuke…and this time she wouldn't let him down.

She decided that a simple bowl of instant rice would do. After she ate she set her alarm for two hours and settled in bed. It was 9:00 in the morning now…and the meeting with their new teammate was set for noon. Until then she knew she had to try her best to rest.

--

Sakura awoke with a pounding headache and the slivers of another nightmare at the back of her mind. She clutched at her head as she slowly sat up, squeezing her eyes shut against the sunlight streaming through the window. A light breeze ruffled her hair, and she suddenly remembered that she had not left the window open before she had fallen asleep. Her eyes shot open to see Naruto, perched in her window like some perverse bird with an impatient look on his face.

"What's taking you so long?!" He cried out, much too loudly as usual.

Naruto managed to duck just in time as Sakura's bedside lamp just barely missed his head and instead flew out the window to startle the passerby below.

"Narutooo…what exactly do you think you're doing in my room?" She demanded icily.

"I tried your door but you wouldn't answer - honest!"

At Sakura's skeptical look Naruto quickly continued.

"Sakura, it's _already_ five to twelve. You're going to miss the meeting with our new teammate" he whined.

"..Noon? What are you talking about it's-" She grabbed her alarm clock.

She paused, then a string of curse words left her mouth. How could she have slept in on such an important day?! Naruto's eyes widened.

"I'll…ah…be waiting for you at the meet point then see ya!" Naruto said, the last few words melding together into one giant word of panic as he rushed off the window.

Sakura threw some cloths on and jumped out the window. Sleep still clung to her stubbornly, making her movements sluggish. What was wrong with her? She had never slept through her alarm before.

"I must be picking up bad habits from Kakashi-sensei…" She muttered to herself as she glanced at a clock within a house she passed by. She was already over 10 minutes late.

When she finally arrived at the meet point, she relieved to see only Naruto sitting on the roof of the building, dangling his legs over the edge. Sakura stopped beside him, nearly falling into a sitting position. She still couldn't shake the drowsiness that hung around her like a heavy chain, even after her rushed journey through the streets of Konoha.

"For a minute I thought that even Kakashi-sensei was going to get here…before…y…" Naruto trailed off as he stared at Sakura.

There was a moment of silence and then he burst into riotous laughter.

Sakura sighed. She wasn't in the mood for Naruto's antics.

"Naruto…" She started, her tone irritated.

"B-but Sakura!" He gasped between laughs, pointing a waving finger at her, "Your clothes!"

Sakura looked down with trepidation to see that she had thrown on quite the ensemble in her rush to get out of her apartment.

A black fishnet shirt had been shoved over the bright pink tank top she had slept in. She had failed to get both arms into the fishnet shirt however, and one sleeve hung pathetically at her side. She was wearing her tight black shorts but had forgotten her skirt. Instead she seemed to have added some sort of sash. She looked down to see she had lost one boot, and that the sock she had managed to get on that particular foot was pink and green polka-dotted.

A blush spread across her features as Naruto seemed to give a half hearted attempt to stop laughing and failed miserably.

She was preparing to send him all the way back to Suna via a well placed uppercut when Kakashi showed up.

To his credit, Kakashi simply raised an eyebrow at Sakura's appearance before he addressed his two students.

Naruto wiped the tears from his eyes and looked up a Kakashi curiously.

"Where's our new teammate?" he asked.

"Ah yes, that. I'm afraid there has been a change of plans."

"What do you mean?"

"The Hokage must speak with the both of you immediately." he turned to leave, then as almost as an afterthought, he added, "Oh, and Sakura, I would change first if I were you."

She grumbled as she turned and made her way back to her apartment

--

Sakura could not believe what was happening. Whenever she thought things were about to get better, they got worse.

She had been pulled from her mission while Naruto, Kakashi, and her would-be new teammate Sai went on without her. As if that were not bad enough, her new mission was to travel back to Suna because Gaara had fallen very ill. Whether it was because of Shukaku being so recently removed, or simply an infection caused by his weakened state the Suna doctors were uncertain. Which is why Konoha had to send it's best to rectify the situation.

Sakura increased her pace determinedly. Even though her heart was torn because she wasn't able to be with her teammates at this vital time she knew it was important that she do her best. There was no chance in hell she was going to let Chiyo Baa-sama's sacrifice be in vain.

She fought off a wave of dizziness as she cleared a particularly high tree branch. She groaned in frustration as her muscles faltered momentarily. The sleepiness that had plagued her all morning weighed heavier on her each passing moment. She clenched her teeth. This was unacceptable. She popped a soldier pill into her mouth, and continued her quick pace. This earned a worried look from her traveling companion Toyo, a dark haired genin she had only met in passing before, but she didn't care. She didn't intend on stopping for a rest until she arrived in Suna. Every second could count.

--

Kankuro stood over his brother, a worried expression on his normally catlike face. Gaara's eyes were scrunched shut and his mop of auburn hair was matted with perspiration. He seemed to be lost in an endless nightmare, trapped within his own mind.

Kankuro's fists clenched and unclenched. Again he was helpless. Again he couldn't do anything to help his brother when he needed it most. Why did things like this have to keep happening?

A gentle hand rest on his shoulder and Kankuro looked over to see his sister now at his side.

"Don't beat yourself up about this. Konoha is sending the same kuinochi that saved your life…Sakura, I think it was. I'm certain she'll be able to do something about this." She said in a reassuring voice.

Kankuro shook his head and moved to the window, watching the sand blow about.

"This is our fault for not having a well developed medical training program. I keep telling that to Gaara, but does he listen? No! To him, everything is about defensive measures."

"To be fair, it's his concentration on defense that saved Suna from the Akatsuki attack." Temari commented.

"It's true that defense is important…but he of all people should know that no defense is perfect! And when things like this happen…"

"Arguing about it now isn't going to change anything. When Gaara is better…and I do mean _when_, we can discuss it with him properly." Temari said softly.

Kankuro nodded and sighed.

"I'm sorry…I'm just frustrated. You know how it is with Gaara. He always pushes himself too far, and this is the result. He's Kazekage now…and he needs to be more careful. We didn't even know something was wrong with him until he collapsed. He probably would have never uttered a word of complaint to anyone either. If you hadn't found him passed out in his room who knows what could have happened."

"The important thing is that I _did_ find him, and now he can get better."

With that Temari walked over to Gaara and took his clammy hand into her own. His muscled relaxed a bit, almost imperceptibly. Only someone like her would notice the change, and Temari was glad she could offer some small comfort to him. Inwardly she urged Sakura to get here as quickly as she could. Despite her confidant words to Kankuro she was worried. The sooner she arrived, the better.

--

"Sakura, we should rest - _you_ should rest - if only for a moment..." insisted Toyo for the second time that hour.

She shook her head. She had refused rest for two days despite her worsening condition. She had started to make stupid mistakes; nicking her leg on a tree branch and having very close encounters with tree trunks on numerous occasions. Still, she knew if she stopped she might fall asleep and not wake up for a very long time. And time was one thing she did not have.

They had finally cleared the trees hours earlier and were now in the desert. She was so close.

Without warning Sakura felt something snap inside her. She faltered and stumbled to the ground, sand swirling around her now prone form.

Toyo stopped and placed a cool hand on her forehead.

"Sakura! Sakura are you alright? You're burning up…" His voice faded out and everything around her wavered.

"T-toyo…?" She muttered as her vision blurred further, and she could have sworn that Toyo's face had changed…or was it her eyes that changed?

"Who's Toyo?"

"He's delirious, quick get the medic!"

"What happened?"

"His condition just worsened…someone GET THE DAMN MEDIC!"

Sakura blinked and her vision cleared slightly.

"Don't worry Sakura, if there's one thing I'm good at it's speed. I'll get you to Suna in no time."

"Wh-what's happening…" She managed before everything went black.

--

_Red. Red everywhere._

_If she slept, it would get on her. She would be stained crimson and lose herself in it, never to return. Whatever happened she had to stay awake. _

_She had to fight. She had to win. She couldn't sleep, no sleep. Sleep was death, sleep was loss. _

_Wake up…wake UP…WAKE UP!_

Sakura blinked as the world suddenly came back to her.

"Where am I?" She murmured.

She let her face fall to the side to see another bed near her.

It was the Kazekage.

Suddenly she remembered her mission and struggled up. Her head was spinning, but she didn't let that stop her as she slowly made her way over to his bed. Mechanically she checked his vitals. His pulse was steady, his breathing rhythmic and slow. She sighed in relief. She hadn't failed. He was fine.

She tried to straighten, but found that her wrist was suddenly in a tight grip. She cried out in surprise and looked down to see Gaara now awake, his gaze intense and fearsome on her. For a moment their eyes met, then he looked away and he released her wrist.

"You startled me," He stated. It was an apology in a way…probably as close to an apology that the stoic Kazekage could manage, she mused.

Then the room filled with people, most she didn't recognize and a few that she did. Kankuro, Temari…and Tsunade?

"Sakura! What do you think you're doing out of bed?!" Tsunade demanded. Sakura's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden appearance of her shishou as she stumbled back into bed, too shocked to argue.

For her to be here in Suna…there must have been a grave emergency. She couldn't remember a single instance that her shishou had left Konoha for anything since she took up her title.

"What happened?" asked Sakura. Then, as she noted her growling stomach she asked. "How…long has it been?"

"Both of you have been unconscious for four days." Tsunade sat down in a chair between them with a tired sigh, "I'm not sure how to begin."

This wasn't good. Her shishou always just spoken her mind whether it was tactful or not. For her to hesitate meant it had to be something very bad. Was she dying? Had she contracted some sort of deadly disease to which there could be no cure?

"Is Gaara going to be ok?" Asked Temari, worry in her eyes.

"I can't be sure, these are fairly extraordinary circumstances. Never in all my years of experience have I come across a case like this. Then again, I never knew anyone who could use such a powerful resurrection technique."

"Chiyo baa-sama?" Asked Sakura, and Tsunade nodded.

"The technique that she used was no normal technique…you knew that from the beginning, Sakura. Instead of using chakra to heal she actually used her life force…the very energy that keeps us alive. Essentially, every person has a limited amount of life energy. Unlike chakra, once it's used up it's gone forever; and once it is gone you die. Sakura, when you were mortally wounded by Sasori, she used this technique on you. She replaced the life energy you lost with her own. She did it again with the Kazekage; but unlike you he needed a much larger amount in order to be revived from his state of death."

"And we were both fine after. The technique worked perfectly." Sakura said, though doubt tinged her voice.

"It's not that simple Sakura. You see, the reason the Kazekage fell ill, and the reason for your eventual collapse was because life energy was never meant to be divided between two individuals. So when you returned to Konoha, Chiyo's life energy began to weaken, divided as it was. I suspect that Sakura was able to endure longer because she still contains a greater amount of her own life energy."

Sakura paled. This wasn't looked good for either of them. But she was feeling a lot better now…surely she wasn't dying?

"What does this mean for us?" the Kazekage finally spoke up, bringing himself to a sitting position.

"I'm not sure yet; I'm going to continue to study this when I return to Konoha. What I do know is that it seems when you two are in general proximity of each other…at least 25 feet…your condition improves. You both could probably be away from each other a couple hours at a time before feeling much effect, but I suggest you stay very near each other most of the time to air on the side of caution. " Tsunade paused, reluctant to say what had to come next, "I'm afraid that for now, you need to stay here, Sakura."

Sakura clenched her teeth to keep words that she may regret from coming out of her mouth. Of all the times for something like this to happen, it had to happen now when their search for Sasuke was at a pivotal moment! She had been training for years, and now that the time had come to use her skills she was stuck in Suna, a practical invalid.

She hadn't noticed the tears of frustration that had beaded at the corners of her eyes until they wetted her cheek, and she wiped them away, frustrated. She wouldn't cry in front of any of them, especially not her shishou. She had to be strong. If anyone could find a solution, it would be Tsunade, the greatest healer history had known. She wouldn't be stuck here forever.

She caught a flash of jade at the corner of her eye and she looked to see the Kazekage regarding her impassively. If one were to judge by the his calm they would have thought the Hokage had given them both a clean bill of health. Did this affect him at all? Did he even care?

"I won't give up until I find a solution Sakura. Until then, I expect you to be a good representative of Konoha during your stay in Suna." Tsunade stood, "I'd like to stay longer but obviously I have a lot of work to get done."

Sakura nodded in ascent as her shishou strode out the door, the rest of the Konoha nin right behind her. Tsunade's attitude may have seemed cold to anyone else, but Sakura was glad that she hadn't wasted any time on empty platitudes. Nothing she could say would change the situation.

The Kazekage stood and left the room without another word, Kankuro right behind him.

Sakura looked pleadingly at Temari.

"Could you please direct me to a bath? I feel like…well, like I haven't bathed in a week."

Temari nodded in understanding, and indicated for Sakura to follow her.

--

Sakura sighed as she let the hot water on her skin soothe away her cares. Never mind that she was on a very strict timetable. Never mind that if she wasn't in the presence of the Kazekage within an hour and 20 minutes she could possibly exacerbate her condition or even pass out.

She sunk deeper into the water, the bubbles tickling her face.

No, she was in complete denial. And the warm water and bubbles were more than happy to oblige her blissful self imposed ignorance.

For the first time she looked around the bathroom. Black marble coated the floors and the tub, which was nearly big enough to seat at least two people comfortably. Plush towels hung on one wall, and the rest of the walls were bare save for a simple spiraling pattern carved into the rock.

It was large room, but then again the complex Temari had escorted her into was large as well, so it was to be expected.

She had explained that this was their residence, and that she would take care of the sleeping arrangements. Until then Sakura had a week's worth of grime and stress to soak off of her.

She was so relaxed that she didn't even notice the soft pad of feet as someone else walked into the bathroom until said person dropped the bar of soap he had been holding.

Sakura started, and looked up to see the Kazekage himself, in nothing but a sleek black robe clinging haphazardly to his slender form.

For a moment she froze. How long had he been standing there, not saying anything? His gaze did not waver from her immersed form as she grabbed the towel next to her and wrapped it around her as well as she could without rising from the bubbles and thus exposing herself.

Then she did the unthinkable.

Acting on complete instinct she raised her fist and lunged at him.

A loud smack echoed through the cavernous room as he caught her fist just inches from his face. Not to be deterred, she growled at him.

"What the hell are you doing in here?!"

Something shone in his eyes for a moment. Something dangerous and intense. Suddenly Sakura realized what she was doing, and just exactly who she had attacked. His hand tightened over hers, causing a slight twinge of pain.

"This is my bathroom. I should be the one asking you that question."

As he held her gaze with his cool green eyes she felt her face go hot. He was right, of course. This was his house. But that didn't change the fact that he was still staring straight at her, treating her as if they were both completely clothed and in decent conditions.

Still, he wasn't completely calm. He was trembling slightly and his hand around her fist was still painfully tight.

She winced and he let go, as if he only just realized he was causing her pain.

"I did not know you were in here. Rest assured if I had, I would never have entered."

And with that, he stalked out of the bathroom leaving Sakura wide eyed and shaking from fear, anger and embarrassment.

This was going to be worse than she thought.

--

That's the end of chapter one! Tell me what you guys think! Suggestions, comments, praise and criticisms are all welcome…it is my fuel to continue. Without reviews…I will take that as a sign that no on has enjoyed this and trash it…so do let me know!


	2. Confrontations

AN: Thanks to all the great responses I got - you guys are the best! Just for you I even made this chapter 20 percent longer! And now, for your reading pleasure I present chapter two -

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**Bonds**

**Chapter Two: Confrontations**

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Sakura hadn't moved from the spot where he had left her for ten full minutes. She passionately wanted to do a dozen things, at least half of them violent; and so she did nothing.

The first thought that had entered her head was an unexpected shot of anger at his last comment that he _never_ would have entered if he'd known she had been in there in that cold and detached voice of his. Then she realized the absolute absurdity of that thought. Moments before she had been ready to beat him to a pulp on the assumption that he was peeping at her for kicks. Yet when she found out he had no licentious intent she was angry…perhaps even disappointed.

It was at that point that she went through so many contradicting emotions that it made her head spin. First she got the urge to go carry out her original intent of beating him silly just for making her feel something so ridiculous. This was followed by horror as she remembered her shishou's parting words to 'be a good representative of Konoha'. She had nearly hit the Kazekage, the most powerful man of a country that was quickly becoming Konoha's greatest ally. Then panic set in when she realized that like it or not she would have to face him again in less than two hours.

All this mental discourse had taken place within a minute. Since then Sakura hadn't come up with a single idea of what to do. A simple apology just wouldn't cut it; how could it? Not to mention the idea of apologizing to him set her teeth on edge, despite the fact that she had been in the wrong.

She shook her fist at the ceiling, as if it were the object of her woes.

Her sudden change in position caused her feet to shift on the soapy floor and she fell straight on her behind.

She sighed. The last indignity. Could it get any worse?

She pulled herself up slowly, and discarded the soaked towel around her for a new dry one. When she came to the adjoining dressing room where she had left her clothes she found that her clothes were now gone.

She slapped her forehead. Of course it could get worse. Why did she even think such a condemning thought?

Where were her clothes? Had a servant taken them to wash? Had the Kazekage taken them in a spiteful fit, seeking to embarrass her further? Surely not…he wouldn't…would he?

Well she couldn't very well just stay in the dressing room forever (or _could_ she…no, that was entirely impossible, and staying there would simply prolong the inevitable) so she made her way to the door. She peeked her head outside, hoping desperately for some server or perhaps Temari to walk by and help her with her predicament.

She was about to close the door again and reevaluate the situation when a face with a cat-like grin suddenly appeared before her.

"Looking for something?" He asked.

Sakura yelped and slammed the door shut. After a few seconds of breathing heavily and clutching at the wall in panic she inched the door open and tentatively peeked on eye out.

"What are you implying?" She asked, eyes narrowing.

"Well, you seem to be stuck."

"And what would _you_ know about that?" She asked, slightly suspicious. Whoever that catlike grin belonged to would get a walloping once she was fully clothed if he was responsible.

"Well! If you're going to be so mean I'll just take these new cloths Temari told me to bring you and maybe use them on one of my puppets. Toodle-oo!" He said cheerfully.

Wait…puppets? Kankuro?

She opened the door further and stuck her head out.

"You're not being fair!" She yelled.

"Life isn't fair little pink one." He said, not bothering to turn back. Sakura fumed. Was he baiting her? To what purpose? She fought back a caustic reply and forced herself to sound marginally polite.

"Please, would you be so kind as to give me the clothes." She said, her voice falsely sweet. Perhaps it was the undertone of threat in her voice, or perhaps he had never really intended to leave her there with nothing but a towel to cover her, but he took pity and walked back to her. When he handed her the clothes, she commented,

"You're being awful familiar with me considering we don't know one another that well."

"You saved my life, and you're living in my family's home. If we weren't familiar before, we're going to become so; better we all get used to it sooner rather than later." he said with a wink and strode off.

Somehow, his words had a comforting effect on her. He reminded her a little of Naruto, with his mischievous attitude and the disarming way he had with people…only minus the loudly annoying aspect. Her urge to smack him faded as she pulled on the new clothes. Really, his way of treating her had almost been refreshing compared to Temari's careful detachment and the Kazekage…well, being himself.

She finished dressing to find the new clothes to be quite comfortable. They were better suited for a dry, sandy environment than the ones she had been wearing and she was grateful for the change.

Sakura carefully stepped out of the dressing room and into the spacious hall. Her shoes tapping on the polished stone was the only sound as she wandered aimlessly. It occurred to her that this place was big enough to be a museum and that she could quite probably get lost in it if she wasn't careful. She wasn't even sure if she remembered where the front door was; but when she arrived at the mansion she was in a bit of a daze.

She sighed to herself. What was she going to do? She absentmindedly twirled a pink lock of hair around her finger as she continued down the hall. Maybe Kankuro would have some advice on how to deal with his cantankerous little brother? Surely after years of living with him he understood enough about him to give Sakura some worthwhile advice. If only she could find out where that tricksy puppeteer had gone off to…

Her thoughts were interrupted abruptly when the most wonderfully spicy scent filled her nose. Her stomach growled rather violently and she remembered that it had been days since she had last eaten a proper meal.

Dutifully following the orders given by her insistent stomach she pinpointed the source of the scent; what appeared to be a kitchen. Steam and laughter poured out of the doorway; and that combined with the mouth watering smell was enough to make the room irresistible to Sakura.

She peeked inside to see several rotund men and a few women working at what appeared to be quite the feast. One of them must have heard her approaching steps, and he looked up, surprised. Then his face broke out into a grin.

"Ah, you must be the honored guest!" he practically roared, his grin widening.

Sakura smiled slightly at his enthusiasm, but was confused as to the way he addressed her.

"Honored guest?"

"But of course! The Kazekage came in here not five minutes ago and ordered us to prepare a grand feast for tonight in the honor of an important guest. You must be her! The name is Yukio, I'm the head chef for this household, nice to meet you!" He said, shaking her hand vigorously, "He did not tell me she was so beautiful, hm?" He said with a wink.

Sakura's cheeks reddened, embarrassed from all the attention. Honored guest? What in the world was the Kazekage doing honoring her after she had assaulted him in his own bathroom?

"Oh let her go you old coot!" Said one of the women there with a laugh. She turned to Sakura, "Don't mind him, he doesn't get out much."

"You, my dear, are just jealous." he retorted, and the woman let out a derisive snort. The man turned back to Sakura.

"Dinner won't be until 8:00...that's at least six hours from now…would you like a little something to eat now? You must be starving after your long trip."

Sakura's doubts and questions were thrown out the window with that offer.

"Oh yes, I would _love_ that!" She said enthusiastically, and the man couldn't help but to laugh at the look in her face.

"Goodness! Do they starve their people back at Konoha? One would think that you haven't eaten in days with the way you just looked at me." Said Yukio as he turned to his grill, preparing a sandwich.

"I _haven't _eaten in days." Sakura said honestly. At their surprised looks she added,

"I've…been ill."

"Ah, yes I've heard something about that, but just rumors mind you. By the time anything gets down to us it has to be taken with a grain of salt" said the woman from before.

Sakura nodded and sat down at a table to the side of all the cooking equipment. Her sandwich finished Yuiko placed it in front of her and she forced herself to take small bites. As tempting as it was to down the entire thing in one bite she knew that would be a one way ticket to an afternoon of stomach cramps.

She talked amiably with the cooks for a while before reluctantly wandering out of the kitchen. She was going on one and a half hours at this point and it was to her best interest as well as the Kazekage's that she find him.

Eventually she ran into Temari and she asked her where the Kazekage had gone to. According to her, the last place she saw him was in the library.

The library? Not the she doubted he was an intelligent man, but he didn't strike her as the type to enjoy reading.

Reluctantly she made her way to the library. In no way did she want to be anywhere near him right now after the events of the morning, but she had little choice. Already she was beginning to feel slightly dizzy. Nothing much, but she knew it was the sign that she was quickly approaching two hours.

She entered the library as quietly as she could, but he was nowhere in sight. However, she knew he had to be somewhere in the room because immediately dizziness lessened slightly, though it didn't disappear entirely. Wherever he was he was a bit farther away than 25 feet.

The library was huge, each wall covered in books save for one wall which was almost entirely glass. It was highly unconventional for the conditions the building had to endure, but it offered the occupant quite a view.

The sun was still high in the sky, and it shone brightly on the white and tan buildings. It glittered off the sand like some vast golden ocean, and in it's own desolate way it was beautiful.

Sakura sat on the window ledge and drew her knees to her chest with a sigh. She wondered where Naruto was right now. She had heard that instead of Kakashi going with him he had also gotten a new team leader to boot. How was he getting along with his new team? The blond idiot was probably making a mess of things without her there to reign him in.

Would they really meet up with Sasuke? Would she be with them when they were finally able to bring him back home? What if he returned and she was still stuck here?

She sighed again. Sasuke would surely be a different person by now, if the changes within her and even Naruto were any indication. She had gotten over him long ago but he would still always hold a special place in her heart as a dear friend. She wanted him to be back home, safe. She wanted to be _useful_ to him and to Naruto. Now she couldn't even be there to support Naruto in their search.

She got up and paced around the room. She needed to find something to do or she would go mad with brooding; and Sakura was never one to brood.

She came to the nearest shelf and pulled out a dusty volume. It was titled _Financial Exploits of the Early Nations._ She quickly put it back. No thanks.

She perused the room until she found a small section of medical books. All of them were horribly outdated. It was appalling, the library had entire walls of books on defensive and attack techniques, of history and even some fiction. Yet books containing medical knowledge were all crammed to one small bookcase. She eventually found a book chronicling some of Chiyo baa-sama's earlier experiments, and she chose to go over that. She made a mental note to herself to get permission to see Chiyo's sealed notes about the forbidden healing technique. They may just hold to clue to fixing her problem, after all. She sat down next to that bookcase since it seemed that was the closest she was getting to the Kazekage (wherever he was) and she sighed with releif as the dizziness disappeared entirely.

Before long she noticed it was seven thirty and that she was again feeling slightly dizzy. The sneaky sand nin must have left without her noticing that either. She shook her head and stood up. Just as she was wondering how she should best find her way to the dining room Kankuro entered the library looking quite decent.

"Dressed up for the fabulous dinner for your 'honored guest'?" Asked Sakura. Kankuro raised his eyebrow at her.

"What did you expect, for us to arrive at dinner decked out in combat gear?" he said with a chuckle.

"Speaking of which, you need to change." He offered her a box. She took it and found a silken dress inside that was a shimmering black and matching elbow length gloves. It was accompanied by a stunning pair of shoes that Sakura knew with one glance would reduce her feet to painful lumps by the end of the evening. She sighed.

"Is this really necessary?" She asked, a pleading look in her eyes. She was never one for dressing up.

"Being that Gaara has invited all the important people of Suna here for this dinner just to welcome you I would say so."

Sakura groaned inwardly. Now she understood why he had done this. It wasn't a gracious gesture for her benefit but simply a political move. She was certain the Kazekage didn't want anyone to know of his newfound weakness, not even his own advisors in case word leaked. The best way to keep rumors from spreading would be to have a formal dinner for their important guest from Konoha. Act as if her coming here was merely a trip for the benefit of Suna and to further strengthen the political ties between the two countries. After all, as far as the public knew she had a part in the healing of their Kazekage from his recent illness and saved his brother's life to boot. To not have a formal dinner in her honor would be suspicious in of itself. Not to mention it was a good opportunity to show all those who counted that their Kazekage was once again healthy and strong.

Or, she thought glumly, he just wanted a good way to torture her.

Kankuro smirked as if he sensed her thought process.

"I'm sure you'll have so much fun that you won't even have time to think about your uncomfortable albeit very pretty clothing." He said.

Sakura laughed disdainfully.

"Yes. Oh what fun we'll have tonight. I can hardly wait." She said dryly.

"Come on, you don't have much time. We'll have someone fix you up proper." He said with a half smile as he lead her out of the library.

"What about me isn't proper just as I am?" She huffed.

"Don't get me started…" Kankuro said as they disappeared through the library doors.

--

Sakura suppressed a groan as more of the old codgers leapt into the argument.

If there was one thing the Kazekage's advisors and high ranking individuals did well, it was to disagree. On _everything_.

And if they weren't arguing they were blatantly ogling her, or attempting to strike up shallow conversations with her that sounded more like thinly veiled attempts to flirt. Sakura glanced at the impassive redhead in front of her. Clearly he had become used to dealing with this sort of discourse on a regular basis because it seemed to roll off him like water on a greasy pan. Kankuro and Temari also seemed to be dealing with this better than her, although Temari had started to develop what seemed to be a slight twitch in her left eye.

On the upside, the food was delicious; Yukito had really outdone himself. What she would give to be in that kitchen right now talking and joking with the cooks there. At least they knew how to get along.

The Kazekage caught her looking at him and she could have sworn he rose a nonexistent eyebrow in her general direction.

She _knew_ this was punishment. She had seen what could only be a glint of amusement in his eyes at her discontent.

Finally dinner was finished but to her great dismay it would be followed by an after party with _dancing_ of all things.

Her feet were already pinched inside the shoes; she didn't want to think what prolonged weight on them would do. Never mind that she hadn't the slightest clue how to dance. It hadn't exactly been covered in her training.

Kankuro must have seen the worried look on her face and so he walked over to her.

"Enjoying yourself?" he asked, an amused look on his face.

"I don't know how to dance." Sakura said nervously.

"Oh, but that is a problem. Especially since the honored guest is traditionally obligated to dance with all of guests of the opposite gender."

Her eyes widened in panic.

She could have sworn he was enjoying this. Her first inclination was to stalk out of the room and forgo the awful affair for another soak in the tub; but she knew she couldn't do that. Keeping up appearances in this instance was too important.

"I'm going to strangle your brother when I get out of this mess." she muttered. Kankuro just laughed.

"Don't worry about it, I'll teach you."

Before she could protest he had her hand and brought her out to the floor. At first she stumbled around like a complete fool, but eventually she got the hang of it. After she got the rhythm down she was able to speak to him without tripping over her own feet.

"Kankuro…thank you for your help. You've been really nice to me in all of this mess." Sakura said quietly.

"Don't mention it."

"What with Temari being so distant and the fact that I'm not even acquainted with anyone else here…"

"Temari is just overly cautious around new people. Give it time, she'll warm up to you. As for everyone else I'm sure you'll make friends here quickly…"

Sakura sighed. Give it time. He made it sound as if he expected Sakura to be here for the long haul. But then, there was no reason to assume anything else.

"…and your brother…" Sakura trailed off. She didn't have to say any more. Kankuro nodded.

"With him, you just need to be very, very patient."

Sakura didn't like the sounds of that, but she wasn't really surprised.

Too soon the song was over and the passing around of the 'Guest of honor' began.

By the time she had danced with the last of them she was feeling very harassed and her feet were beyond a point of pain. Thankfully no one asked for a second dance, instead attracted the vast array of drinks set at the edges of the room. Sakura was tempted to down a few herself, but thought it better to stay sober in current circumstances. She sat down with a huff. At least it was almost over. Idly she wondered just how long she was required to stay there now that she was done with the torturous ritual of 'pass the kuinochi'. She was about to get up to ask Kankuro just that when an ominous shadow came over her.

She looked up to see the Kazekage himself, offering her his hand silently. He didn't say a word but his intent was unmistakable. Of course. Keeping up appearances dictated that she had to dance with everyone…and that included the Kazekage especially so.

She looked at his proffered hand, and noticed with an inward grimace that her punch had caused a deep and ugly bruise to form. Reluctantly she took his hand and he lead her out to the dance floor.

Her heart raced nervously when he drew her near for the dance, his hand draped possessively on the small of her back. She noticed that he was stiff and tense, as if he was perturbed by the unfamiliar contact. Surely he had been required to dance at other events before…which could only mean that he was repulsed by the very contact with her. And why not, considering her treatment of him. She fought back an irrational stab of disappointment, and she concentrated instead on not stepping on his feet. As long as she didn't meet his eyes she could bear it.

After a while though, she felt drawn to look up despite herself. When she did she found that he was not staring out at the dance floor like she had assumed, but instead looking down at her. Their eyes met, and for a moment Sakura saw something unfamiliar flicker in his eyes; but it was gone as soon as it had appeared.

The dance ended before she knew it, and she was relieved but disappointed at the same time. As much as she didn't want to admit it, being so near to him had been very soothing. She figured it must be the close proximity. It only made sense that the closer they were the better they would feel. If the Kazekage's stoic demeanor and tense posture were any indication though, one would think it did not have the same effect on him.

Soon all of the guests had cleared out. Temari and Kankuro excused themselves to bed and shortly after that the Kazekage headed towards the door.

With rising panic Sakura realized that there was no way she could leave him for the entire night without getting sick.

She ran up to him and matched his quick pace.

"Kazekage-sama, where are you going?" She asked. He didn't answer. She tried not to get annoyed, but it was getting difficult with the day she was having.

"That is…because…well I was hoping to get some rest but since we need to be in the same room I don't know…what…"

He continued his quick pace down the hall as if he hadn't heard a word she said. Sakura nearly had to run to keep up with him. Finally they came to a balcony that overlooked the city. The sharp chill of the desert night cut through her sheer dress as she followed him out.

She rubbed her arms against the cold and suppressed a groan. What was he doing? Didn't he realize that she needed to get some sleep? She could hardly fall asleep out here on the balcony.

"You need to sleep sometime." She said, annoyance tingeing her voice.

"I don't sleep." He finally said, not bothering to look at her.

"Yes but I _do_." Sakura said.

He said nothing. Was he really this thick or was he just toying with her? Sakura gritted her teeth and tried to keep herself under control.

"Kazekage-_sama_, could we _please_ go to a room that has a bed so that I can sleep?" She asked, trying and failing to sound patient.

He hesitated, as if reluctant to say something.

"No."

Sakura just stood there, her mouth agape. That was it. She couldn't take any more.

"Can you even begin to understand what a horrible day I've been having? I've been torn away from everything that I hold dear, 'accidentally' fondled by at _least_ thirty perverse old men, my feet are probably deformed by now because of these _horrid_ shoes," She tore them off "and even though I felt like crawling into a hole and dying I wore the pretty dress, played the part, and you have the nerve to tell me I can't go to sleep?!"

He looked at her then, his eyes cold.

"You assume you're the only one perturbed by this situation. This…_condition_ weakens me, and that is something a Kage cannot afford."

"No, I-" but before she could continue he interrupted her.

"Not to mention that the food you ate today cost more than you would make in a year, those shoes and that dress you so vehemently disparage cost nearly half that much; and you have the gall to complain?" He said quietly, silkily.

Sakura was shocked to silence for a moment, but then found her voice again.

"Well I don't want them! I never wanted them!" She huffed.

He crossed his arms.

"Then give them back."

"Gladly."

"Now."

"…What?"

He didn't say anything. He never was one to repeat himself.

"Out here, where everyone can see?!"

He held his ground. Was that a glint of amusement in his eyes?

"Are you insane?!"

He quirked an eyebrow but didn't move from his spot. He was strategically placed at the door too. Her only escape would be to jump from the balcony which a part of her was sorely tempted to do if only to escape the infuriating redhead.

He took her silence as an answer.

"So, I take it that you want to keep the dress then?" he said, a trace of smug victory in his tone. That was it. She wasn't about to let him get away with this sort of humiliation on her part, Kazekage or no.

She slapped him.

This time it hit home, but when she lifted her hand again he grabbed her wrist. She brought up her other hand but he caught that wrist too, effectively immobilizing her. To her mortification tears began flowing down her cheeks.

She couldn't cry _now_…not in front of _him_ of all people. But it couldn't be helped; all the stress had cumulated to a breaking point and it had to come out somehow. Since she couldn't beat him senseless the only other option was to cry.

She lowered her head.

"I'm sorry for everything Kazekage-sama, please just _go away _before things get worse." She said, her voice frustratingly tremulous. She hated this, appearing so weak.

She felt him shift and before she knew what was happening he had flung her over his shoulder.

"Wha-what are you doing?!" she cried out in shock.

"I'm taking you to bed."

Then she started to laugh. Perhaps a little too manically to be healthy.

"Why didn't you just do that in the _first_ place?" She asked, exasperated.

"I was about to tell you that I didn't remember where my room was because I've never occupied it…before you had your little…fit."

Sakura glowered.

"And you remember now?"

"No."

She sighed.

"Put me down."

"No."

"And why not?" She said through gritted teeth.

"Because this way I don't have to dodge any more of your random assaults."

"I promise I won't hit you, _please_ let me down."

"No."

"You have a bony shoulder!" She whined.

He didn't say anything. Clearly he was done with the discourse and no matter what she said he would not relent.

Luckily they found his room relatively quickly.

Temari had been kind enough to set up another bed in the room, and Sakura sighed inwardly in relief. The last thing she needed was to argue over who got the bed.

After Sakura changed in the adjoining restroom she found the Kazekage's bed untouched. Instead he was sitting at the window, staring out at the city.

After all the commotion she wasn't feeling anywhere near sleepy any more, and Sakura was never one to enjoy complete silence. She was a social being, and like it or not the only person she had to talk to was the Kazekage.

"Do you ever sleep?" She asked, walking up to him.

"A little, ever since the Shukaku was removed." He said, "but not much."

"It won't get boring…me sleeping and you having to stay in the room all night, will it?"

He said nothing. The tinge of pink remained on the cheek where she had slapped him and Sakura remembered his hand. She reached for it and he looked at her questioningly but did not draw away. She intended to examine it more closely, but when her skin touched his she felt a shock of sensation. For a moment she saw a flash of something she couldn't identify but it was gone as quickly as it had come.

The redhead's eyes widened slightly. He must have felt it too, but he still did not draw his hand away as she moved to begin her work.

When she examined it more closely she noticed a few small fractures in some of the bones. She hadn't known it was that bad. He hadn't even flinched when he caught her fist, after all.

She concentrated her chakra into his wounded hand slowly, and soon the bruising faded.

"I am sorry I tried to hit you," She said, "it was a misunderstanding,"

"Yes." He agreed.

He was silent for a moment, and Sakura thought he was done talking for the night. Then he added quietly, almost too quietly for her to hear,

"Though I did not have the intention of seeing you…that way…" He stopped, seeming slightly pained at having to be so honest, "I should have averted my gaze. I'm sorry if your honor was compromised."

Sakura simply nodded in understanding. Nothing else had to be said and thankfully healing his hand had been enough to return her to the appropriate state of fatigue needed for sleep.

"Goodnight Kazekage-sama."

She moved to her bed and snuggled deep into the blankets. She had almost been asleep when she heard him say,

"Call me Gaara."

--

As always I appreciate your opinions, and any suggestions! Your reviews are my fuel to keep writing so let me know what you think -

**Illustration: innerflame00 . deviantart . com / ar t/ Put-me-down-94118284 (remove spaces)**


	3. Possession

--

**Bonds**

**Chapter Three: Possession**

--

Gaara sat at the window, gazing at the sleeping kuinochi. She seemed familiar to him somehow, as if he had seen her before they met at the chuunin exams. He couldn't quite place it though, and it frustrated him beyond belief. He normally had an impeccable memory…maybe the lingering familiarity was simply an aftereffect of the connection they now shared?

She stirred in her sleep, her eyes scrunched shut and sweat beading on her brow.

She had tried to hide it but he noticed that she had slipped in and out of sleep at least 20 times that night. There was no doubt about it; she was having nightmares. Gaara had experienced it often enough to know exactly what it looked like. Even with the Shukaku removed from him he was still unable to have a peaceful sleep. It was ironic really that the monster still had a hold over him even when It was gone; sealed away in a different country. In a way it felt It hadn't been removed, only watered down. As if It's power over him had only weakened.

He put his hand out in front of his face as the sun as broke the horizon, sending a burst of light across the city. He studied his hand as the morning light played on his skin, remembering yesterday's events. He had been surprised by her strength when he had caught her fist. He remembered how easily he had dominated her three years ago when she attempted to protect her friend. She was frail and weak; at the time she barely registered his attention as it had all been focused on the blond Jinchurriki. She had simply been an annoying bug to swat out of the way.

Even now her slim form didn't look capable of defending anything, yet she held a strength inside of her that he hadn't known she'd possessed until now. It wasn't just her chakra enhanced strength either; something in her character had transformed. It was another reminder to him that people really could change drastically for the better.

He lowered his hand with an almost inaudible sigh. The woman was a puzzling bundle of contradictions. The bruise that had been on his hand was nothing more than a slight darkness now. It probably would have been gone completely if she had not been so tired at the time. That she would injure him and then bother to heal him when her chakra was so low surprised him; but he knew that somehow it was the norm for her. She was friends with Naruto after all, and if there was one thing he knew about Naruto it was that he always did things that you would never expect.

--

Sakura awoke abruptly, her body covered with sweat.

Her sleep had been extremely fitful and not at all the invigorating rest she had been hoping for. She sat up and looked over to the window to see it was empty, and the other bed untouched. He must not have left too long ago because she still felt fine. Fine being a relative term, of course. Being tormented by nightmares all night hardly left her feeling fine, but compared to how she had felt when she'd passed out halfway to Suna she felt fantastic.

She peeled the sheets off of her and trod to the adjoining bathroom. It was like a miniature version of the other bathroom; only instead of a tub there was a large shower. The cool water on her skin helped her to wake up, and by the time she was done she was feeling a lot more like a human being once again.

She was wondering how she would find her way to the kitchen for breakfast (it was hard keeping track of direction when one was slung over a certain someone's shoulder) when there was a knock at her door. She opened it to see an elderly servant, who bowed at the entrance to her room.

Sakura bowed back; the servant looked a tad surprised at that, but said nothing.

"I was sent to escort you to the dining room for breakfast." She said. Sakura nodded gratefully and followed her.

Sakura made it a point to memorize where the room was in relation to the rest of the building as she followed the elderly woman. She wouldn't get lost again if she could help it.

Soon they entered a room much smaller than the grand ballroom she had eaten dinner in the night before, but still just as elaborate. Temari and Kankuro already sat at the table, an empty place was set for Sakura, but Gaara was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's…?" Asked Sakura as she settled at her seat.

"He went ahead to work, he's got a lot to catch up on since his absence." Kankuro said.

Sakura nodded.

After breakfast was served they dismissed the servers and Temari did a quick jutsu that Sakura recognized as one that would seal the room from the ears of anyone but the three at the breakfast table. Sakura looked questioningly at the siblings.

"We thought this would be a good time to talk to you about the plan." Kankuro said.

"Plan?"

"The connection you share with Gaara not only weakens both of you, but it also makes it easier for assassins to target Gaara through you. This is why keeping this new development a secret is imperative for both your safety." Temari explained.

Sakura said nothing. She hadn't thought of that aspect of the connection, but it only made sense. All the assassins would have to do would be to separate them, or at the very least they would have two targets instead of one in order to accomplish the same goal. She remembered how she raged to Gaara about what a big inconvenience all this was for her and she cringed. She had only been thinking about herself.

Temari seemed unaware of her inner turmoil and continued.

"Conveniently we have a good reason for you to be here as we were already considering bringing in someone from Konoha for this very task."

"What's that?" Sakura asked.

"Well, as you may know our current health care system isn't even close to what it should be. Gaara has a tendency to concentrate too much of our resources on defense - which is all well and good until those defenses fail and people get hurt." Kankuro said.

Temari nodded, "With the success of Konoha's medic nin program it makes sense for us to bring someone in from Konoha to help; and who better than the Hokage's top medical student? Essentially you are to advise him on the best ways to incorporate better health care into the villiage on a short term and long term basis. This means that you'll have to be with the Kazekage during all his meetings to consult with him and as for the rest of the time, we can set up a desk for you in his office so that you can work in the same environment. Because the health and well being of our village is top priority since the recent Akatsuki attack it won't be seen as strange that you work in the same office, but will simply be seen as a reminder of how important this is to all of us."

"Your official title would be top medical consultant." Kankuro added helpfully.

Sakura was speechless for a moment; it was a lot to take in. Her first thought was that she was only 16, she wasn't ready for this kind of responsibility. Then she remembered that Gaara was no older than she, and _he_ was Kazekage.

"But I've had no experience in the administrative area of medicine…" was all she was able to say.

Kankuro nodded in understanding.

"It may be difficult, however I think you underestimate yourself." He said, "It's a ninja's job to think on their feet; think of this as just another mission."

"Besides, we have very few choices at this point." Said Temari, "Any other position may not be important enough to convince everyone that it's the real reason you're here for an extended period of time."

Sakura nodded in agreement with a sigh. She had always liked a challenge…though she felt like in this situation she may have bitten off more than she could chew.

--

After taking one look at the Kazekage's itinerary for the day she had the feeling that it wasn't going to be a good day.

She was right.

After three hours in the first meeting with his advisors for the day she had a new respect for Gaara as she had no idea how he could put up with the things he did on a daily basis.

Despite the implied importance of her new title, his advisors very rarely consulted her on anything. In fact, they seemed more apt to argue amongst themselves than to ask her or even Gaara anything.

She glanced over at him. He looked as impassive as ever, responding when he needed to and at least appearing to listen the rest of the time. How could he seem so calm when he was surrounded by bickering old men?

She had to note, albeit reluctantly, that when they did finally agree on something it was almost always a wise and well thought out decision despite their differences in opinion. However, she couldn't help but to think they could be just a tad more time efficient about the entire affair.

She suppressed a groan as two of them continued to argue about whether or not they should deviate some funds to re-painting some of the public buildings.

"Our grand village's image is important!"

"Not as important as the other things we could use that money for such as…."

Sakura tuned them out, and decided she needed to find a way to amuse herself. She took out a pen and wrote on her pad of paper.

'Do they always argue this much?' she wrote, and passed it to Gaara under the table. He raised an eyebrow at her, but seemed to decide to humor her by writing back,

'This meeting is going very quickly in comparison to most.'

Sakura sighed inwardly. This was quickly?

'How do you ever get anything done in this place?'

'With much patience.'

Unfortunately for Sakura, patience was not her strongest attribute.

'What about lunch? I'm getting hungry.'

'I usually forgo lunch to expediate business matters.'

'That's not healthy! You need to have three balanced meals a day! Did you even eat breakfast?'

After that he pointedly ignored her notebook and the meaningful glares she was sending in his direction.

As if it were not bad enough that he almost never got any sleep, he skipped meals too? It was a wonder he hadn't fallen ill and died before the Akatsuki attack!

That was it. She was hungry and hell if she was going to let him starve himself when her life was so inextricably linked to his. Time to exercise some of her newly given authority.

She stood up and everyone fell silent at her sudden movement.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but as top medical consultant I must insist that everyone adjoin for lunch and resume matters in an hour," She looked at Gaara pointedly, and finally he nodded.

"Of course Haruno-sama, Kazekage-sama" Said the Gaara's top advisor, and he led the rest of them quickly out of the room. The instant they were out of the door Sakura could hear them continue their argument as if they had never even left the table; but they were _gone_.

Sakura beamed. She could get used to this.

"Don't look so pleased with yourself. You just bought us an extra two hours with your actions." Said Gaara flatly.

"What are you talking about?"

"There's a very good reason why I skip lunch every day."

Sakura crossed her arms. Getting him to answer a question straight was like pulling teeth.

"And that reason is…?" she prompted.

Gaara stood, "You will see that quite clearly for yourself once they return."

Sakura scowled to herself. If he wanted to be all mysterious then let him, she was too hungry to play games.

She moved towards the door but Gaara was still firmly planted in his seat.

"Well, come on. Lets go get some food." she said.

"You may go get food if you wish, but I have no need."

"Last I checked normal humans need to eat three solid meals a day." Sakura replied.

"I don't think I fit in the category of 'normal human',"

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Look, I don't care if you're the mighty Kazekage, you _need to eat_. As your medical consultant the _least_ I can do is make sure that you practice healthy habits such as eating regular meals."

Gaara noted a stubborn gleam in her eyes, as well as something else. Concern? For a moment, he was surprised. However it soon occurred to him that of course she was concerned; after all her life was linked to his. It only made sense that she would want him to be as healthy as possible.

As disturbing as it was, he couldn't shake the slight disappointment that occurred from that thought. He closed his eyes.

"Very well. I'll allow you to accompany me to lunch."

_Allow_ her to accompany him? Sakura fought back a retort, unwilling to argue further. She had won the battle, so she may as well savor the victory as it lasted. After all, the war was far from over and she was better off saving her strength.

He stood and Sakura followed him out.

Sakura wondered where they would eat when Gaara unexpectedly grabbed her wrist and they both disappeared in a swirl of sand.

They reappeared in the middle of one of the many bustling streets of Suna.

"You could have warned me!" Sakura cried out, her heart skipping a few beats. Gaara merely looked at her then started walking down the street. Sakura glowered as she brushed bits of sand off her clothes.

Her distemper quickly dissipated however when she began to notice the scenery around her. Unlike many of the streets in Suna this one was filled with bright colors. Vendors selling every sort of food and goods lined the edges of the streets and Sakura breathed in the rich scent of heavily spiced food. Her stomach grumbled, and every time Gaara passed another perfectly good food vendor her frustration grew.

Never mind that it was getting harder and harder to traverse the streets as people crowded around their beloved Kazekage.

To his credit he dealt with his people patiently, his face as impassive as ever. Sakura was not left out either as her new status as Top Medical Consultant had made her an overnight celebrity in the sand village. However, unlike the cool and controlled Kazekage, she had no idea how to deal with this sort of attention.

It ranged from undeserved praise on her part to a myriad of questions that she had no answers to. She smiled and nodded, beginning to think that going out for lunch might not have been the best idea. She knew they were well-intentioned so she tried to keep her patience but she had never liked crowds and it was beginning to grate on her nerves.

Thankfully the crowd eventually thinned as they reached a less populated area of the street. Gaara finally moved towards a lone food vendor that was to the side of all the others.

They had a strange assortment of display foods laid out on the front counter, and an ancient woman stood at the front. She didn't seem aware of their presence until they were right in front of her. When she did look up she frowned.

"Oh it's _you_ again. Come back for more, have ye?" She stated rather grumpily.

Sakura stared at the old woman in shock at her blatantly disrespectful attitude.

Gaara didn't seem to notice; in fact there was a ghost of a smile on his face. He nodded.

"Well then I s'pose it's the usual," She turned to Sakura, "and what about you?"

"She'll get the same as me," Said Gaara before Sakura could speak up, "It is your specialty after all."

Sakura gaped at his audacity, but it was too late; the woman had already bustled over to the grill and had begun cooking.

They sat down at the front, Sakura eyeing Gaara curiously. What on earth would possess him to want to eat at such a place? The fact that it was quiet and away from all the hubbub? She was about to ask him just that when the old woman put a plate of something in front of Gaara that looked like grey matter served up on a platter.

"There ye are, ground liver and tongue just the way ye like it." She said, and then handed Sakura her dish.

Sakura wrinkled her nose at the dubious scent that wafted from her food.

"Liver…and tongue?" She repeated.

Gaara nodded and began to eat. She looked back at her food, her appetite now diminished. After a moment Gaara noticed her lack of eating.

"Is the food not to your liking?" He asked. The old lady looked at her expectantly, and Sakura paled.

"No, it's fine."

"Then eat."

"I will."

Sakura paused.

"Well?" He prodded, placing his utensils down on his plate to gaze at her intently.

"Well what?"

"It only makes sense you follow your own order; now eat." He said.

Damn it, he had a point. And from the subtle look of smug satisfaction on his face he knew it too. She knew that he had agreed to this too easily to not be up to something.

She tentatively picked up a piece of the stuff with her chopsticks, and considered it for a moment. It wobbled ominously, and Sakura grimaced. She had to do this or she'd never live it down.

Quickly she shoved the piece into her mouth, chewing and swallowing as fast as she could.

She was surprised to find that she wasn't gagging. In fact, if anything the food was tender and well-flavored. Her eyes opened in surprise.

"It's…good?" She said, awe in her tone. She looked at Gaara to see what could only be amusement in his eyes.

She grumbled and finished the rest of her meal in silence. She wouldn't forget this. Oh, he would pay. He _would_ pay.

When they returned to the meeting room all the advisors filed in soon after, arguing vehemently as they did. Sakura soon realized that they must have spent their entire lunch hour arguing on their own, and without the Kazekage's silent guidance it had gotten way out of hand.

This was why he skipped lunch every day; when they came back they were ten times harder to reign in. Sakura groaned to herself. It really would add two hours onto their day, if not more.

--

Sakura collapsed on the bed with a grunt a frustration.

When had they finally gotten out of the meeting and were able to move on to the paperwork for the day Sakura had been appalled at the stack already sitting at her desk.

Only after hours more of tedious paperwork and having audiences with various people were they able to leave in time for a late dinner. She was too tired to even shower; she had no idea how Gaara was able to do this day in and day out and she had a new respect for him and her shishou.

He stepped out of the restroom, a cloud of steam following him. Sakura sighed and tucked herself in as he took his customary spot by the window. Maybe tonight she would actually get some sleep.

--

_It was there again, she knew it. Waiting. Watching. It prowled just on the edge of her unconsciousness, and she could feel It's presence; heavy and oppressive._

"_Whooo are youuu?" It asked slowly, darkly._

"_I'm Sakura; and I'm not afraid of you!" She said, her voice defiant. It laughed._

"_You should be, girl. How interesting, how interesting. A female's mind is so much different from a male's…so many new things…to explore." It mused, and with a flash Gaara was suddenly in front of her. Only, it wasn't Gaara…his eyes were wrong. Golden and hard edged._

_He grabbed her, and pulled her roughly to him, pressing every inch of his body against hers._

"_So many new things…to try…" He nuzzled her neck and Sakura gasped as the action sent a wash of sensation through her entire body. This was wrong; this wasn't Gaara…but who was it? She struggled, trying to push him away. He growled at her movements and bit her neck hard, drawing blood. She cried out, but he only seemed to take her pain as encouragement._

"_How is it that you are here?" He asked as he started to gently lap up the blood he had drawn, "They separated me from him but I still see into his mind…and suddenly you're here as well." He finished his work and looked up at her, a gleam in his eyes._

"_Not that I'm _complaining." _He purred, "It's so dull where they have me here trapped, and that boy is just no fun."_

"_Who are you?!" she asked._

"_Don't you know? But it's no matter; you're mine now." He said with a dry chuckle._

"_Let me go." She asked, venom in her eyes._

"_As my lady commands," He said mockingly, and with a half bow he disappeared into the darkness._

_--_

Dun dun DUN! A new development! Tell me what you guys think! Your reveiws are what I live for :) Besides, the more reviews I get the quicker the next chapter will be posted ;) Also let me know what you think of the illustrations - I'm also open to suggestions in that area too.

**Illustration: innerflame00 . deviantart . com / art / Mmm-liver-95237342 (remove spaces)**


	4. Loss

--

**Bonds**

**Chapter Four: Loss**

--

Gaara looked over to Sakura's bed as she began to toss and turn again, this time worse than before.

Each time she woke up she seemed determined to mask the fact that she was awake. At this point he could tell the difference between genuine sleep and false sleep simply by the fact that when she seemed to be sleeping peacefully he knew she was faking.

She went to great lengths to hide the fact that she was sleeping fitfully. Whether it was because she didn't want to bother him or because she didn't want to appear weak he had to admire her just a little for the feat. He knew that most other people suffering the same problem probably would have said something by now.

She sat up abruptly, shaking violently. She'd never had this kind of reaction before; something had happened and it was bad enough to break her control. She didn't move from the spot, breathing hard and staring wide-eyed into space.

He walked over to her and touched her shoulder to try and wake her from her daze. She flinched away from his contact, and for a moment looked at him with abject fear and rage.

He drew his hand away surprised, and despite himself a little hurt.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

Her eyes seemed to clear as she finally shook away the remnants of the dream.

"No…" She said shakily.

"Nightmares." he said. She nodded, and turned away from him.

He was beginning to see a pattern here. He barely ever slept but when he did sleep his nightmares were still almost as bad as when the Bijuu was still sealed inside of him. It was possible that their connection also caused her nightmares. He felt a sudden surge of anger; it was one thing for him to have to endure it, but for it to be forced upon another? He had vowed since his fight with Naruto that he would no longer cause another person pain unless they earned it; and she had certainly done nothing to deserve this.

Sakura mistook the anger in his eyes.

"I'm sorry for bothering you so late at night. I'll be fine." She said, wiping her eyes.

He shook his head, his expression serious.

"Sakura. Tell me about your nightmare."

She looked up at him and it was then that he realized just how much the nightmare had disturbed her. Her eyes held a hunted look, like one who was used to being a predator suddenly becoming prey. Then it was gone, replaced by an expressionless look that rivaled his own.

She stood up and walked towards the door.

"I'd rather not; sorry." She said, and left the room.

Gaara was annoyed at her shortness with him, but he decided to let it go for now.

Whatever it was that she had dreamt about it was clearly something so disturbing that she didn't want to discuss it. And why would she want to discuss it with him anyway? They were practical strangers. He went back to his window. She would have to return in two hours anyway, and he would ask her again then, once she had calmed down a bit.

But well over an hour and a half he started to feel it, and she still hadn't returned.

_Surely she wouldn't be so stupid as to stay apart from me when she knows what that will lead to… _He thought, but then decided that he didn't want to leave it up to her. He jumped off the window and walked out the door.

--

It took him nearly twenty minutes but he finally found her on top of the outer wall, unconscious.

He grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

"Sakura. Wake up." he said firmly, but she didn't respond.

For a moment panic gripped him, but then he realized that he had already begun to feel better. Why was she still unconscious?

"Sakura" He said more gently, shaking her again. She gasped and suddenly her arms were around him. He started, not sure what to do when he realized she was still unconscious. She began to shake…she was crying.

He patted her back awkwardly, unsure of what to do in such situations. He knew girls were emotional (his many encounters with his sister's bad days had taught him that) but he never heard of them being so when they were _unconscious._

Something stirred in his memory for a moment. Somehow this situation seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't place how. That didn't make any sense of course; Gaara of the sand was hardly hug material. In fact, this was the first time that he could really remember holding someone.

He was. Holding someone, that is. Suddenly the complete absurdity of this situation hit him. He was holding some girl he hardly knew who was crying in her sleep at the top of a wall that was hundreds of feet high. He tried to extricate himself, but found it was quite impossible as she had a steely grip on him. Short of ripping her arms off (and after tonight, the thought _was_ tempting) she wasn't budging.

He heaved a sigh. So. She was as hopeless to deal with unconscious as she was conscious. Finally her sobs subsided.

He watched her sleeping form to find that unlike all the other times he had observed her, this time her slumber was peaceful and deep. For the first time he noticed the beginnings of dark rings beneath her eyes. She hadn't been sleeping for days. At this rate she would end up just like him.

The thought disturbed him. As much as her energetic countenance annoyed him at times it was what made her who she was. It reminded him a bit of Naruto, only not as in your face (no one could compete with Naruto in that respect). If she lost that because of him he would feel almost like he had violated her.

He found that he preferred to see her like this. It was strange that someone who could be so volatile and passionate in the conscious world could look so peaceful and helpless in the unconscious world.

She moved and held onto him a bit tighter, burrowing her face into his coat against the cool chill of the desert night. Gaara felt his cheeks redden. This was going to be a long night…

--

Sakura slowly returned to consciousness more comfortable than she had been in days. A encompassing sense of peace permeated her entire being. Warmth surrounded her, and a steady comforting sound filled her ears. It sounded…like a heartbeat?

She stirred and looked up. She met Gaara's impassive gaze. He raised an eyebrow.

"So. Finally awake are we?"

There was a slight tinge to his cheeks. Was he…blushing?

With a start Sakura realized that she was clutching onto him like no tomorrow; and more surprising was the fact that his arms were around her.

She yelped and jumped away from him as if burned by his touch, her face hot with embarrassment.

"I'msorryIdidn'tknowwhatIwasdoing!" She said, her words mashing together into one panicked sentence.

Gaara stood, stretching languidly.

"Apparently not as you were stupid enough to run off for longer than two hours." He said sourly.

Sakura's face flushed more, this time in anger.

"I lost track of time!" She said hotly.

"And nearly killed us both in the process."

"Don't be so melodramatic. We weren't in any real danger." Sakura scowled.

"We would have been if I hadn't _found_ you."

"Oh, and I suppose now you'll be wanting me to thank you for valiantly saving my life."

His silence was all the answer she needed. She huffed in indignation, and attempted to walk away but she stumbled and nearly tripped right off the wall. His sand caught her effortlessly, keeping her from plummeting to the dark ground below.

She heard a small chuckle and looked back to see Gaara, THE Gaara of the sand with a slight but genuine smile of amusement on his face.

She was about to come up with a scathingly witty retort that would somehow make her accident look like it was done entirely on purpose when she realized that she was still in the gentle, but firm grip of his sand.

"…Let me down." she insisted. Despite the fact that his intentions were good she still felt immensely uneasy being cradled by the very sand that had attacked her not so many years ago.

He opened his mouth to argue, but then seemed to think better of it. However, he did not let her down. Instead he took her into his arms and jumped off the wall to the nearest roof, making his way back towards his house.

Sakura blushed again, which in turn made her upset. She shouldn't be blushing! What was there to be embarrassed about? She was clearly unsteady on her feet and couldn't be trusted to jump along the rooftops. He was just being helpful.

They reached the street that led to his house, yet he still didn't put her down.

"I think I can handle walking, thanks." she said, careful not to make eye contact with him lest he see how much her face resembled a beet right now.

He put her down gently and continued walking ahead. She followed close behind.

After a long silence he said,

"I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. She wasn't expecting conversation, and certainly not that particular revelation.

"…What?"

"If you're having nightmares because of our connection…and because of me…we need to find a way to stop it," He said resolutely, "That's why I wanted to know." He looked away from her and studied the buildings around them as if he was uncomfortable with the entire subject.

"Oh." she said awkwardly. Now she felt like such an idiot. She had been so cold to him earlier when he had only been trying to help. She looked down, watching her feet move.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you." She said meekly. He simply nodded.

When they got back to his room it was already nearly morning, so Sakura went straight to the shower and cleaned up. By the time she was done he was already gone.

_That's odd._ She thought. After the way things had gone that night she was sure he was going to personally escort her to the Kazekage's administrative building himself.

She stepped out of the room. He wasn't waiting outside, nor was he anywhere in sight.

She warily turned the corner and Kankuro nearly ran straight into her.

"Sakura! Oh thank goodness I found you!" he said, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Kankuro, what's wrong?" she asked, flabbergasted by this sudden change in events.

"Five of our younger students were training and some loose rocks fell suddenly, burying them. We're attempting to get them out now, but their injuries are going to be severe."

Sakura's sleepy countenance disappeared in an instant.

"Take me there."

He nodded and took off down the hall, Sakura close behind.

It was all Sakura could do to keep her wits about her when she saw the condition the children were in as the rocks were removed. Gaara was making quick progress removing the rocks with the help of his sand, but the damage was already done; she had to move fast.

As quickly as she could she moved to the first one. He had a broken leg, but otherwise appeared fine. Good, this wouldn't take long.

As each child became unburied she moved to them, successfully healing their most life-threatening injuries so they could be moved safely to the hospital.

Then the last one was revealed; a young girl no older than seven or eight. Sakura had to keep from crying when she saw how battered the child's body was. Bruises and blood mottled her face, her arms, her legs…She shook her head to clear it. Now was not the time to lose herself.

She concentrated, seeing beyond the damage on the surface. Both her legs were broken, she had three fractured ribs, and micro fractures in several other places. One of the fractured ribs had punctured a lung and her breathing was erratic. There was massive internal bleeding.

_Okay, you can do this. First stop the bleeding, then the lung, then the worst breaks. _

She poured herself into it, but she could feel her chakra weakening. She had already healed four of the five children, and she knew she was close to her limit.

Her vision blurred as she poured more chakra into the girl. _No! I can't lose it now! I have to keep going…_

But it wasn't working. The girl was coughing up blood now. The internal bleeding was too severe, and now her lungs were so filled with blood that she couldn't breathe.

The medics came back from carrying the last child to the hospital and tried to help, but after healing the smaller wounds of the other children they were almost as tired as Sakura. Their help was like trying to put out a fire with an eyedropper, it just wasn't enough.

The girl had stopped breathing.

"No! Don't you dare give up on me!" Sakura cried, and started pounding on her chest. She forced breathe into her mouth, but it was no use. Her lungs had stopped functioning. Sakura had to focus her healing there. Stopping the bleeding wasn't enough. If she could completely heal the lungs then the child could breathe and they could worry about the severe breaks later.

She gathered up as much chakra as she could, and focused it on her lungs.

The last thing she remembered before darkness overtook her was someone calling out her name…

--

_The darkness surrounded her again. Only this time it wasn't black…it was red. A dark, rusty red like blood that smoldered dully._

"_You really messed up this time, didn't you girl?" A voice behind her chortled gleefully._

"_Go away." Sakura insisted, closing her eyes against the glowing darkness._

"_You shouldn't push yourself my sweet. Why bother with some useless child? It's not worth the energy." He purred. He was in front of her now. She could feel his hot breath on her face. If she opened her eyes would he be human or beast this time? She didn't want to find out. _

"_It wasn't a waste!"_

"_It wasn't good enough and then you put yourself in danger. You could have killed yourself, and I can't have that. After all, who would entertain me if you were to die?" _

_Sakura's brows furrowed as his hands brushed her hair back from her face. Finally, she opened her eyes so she could glare at him._

"_I'm not here for your _entertainment_." she growled. _

"_Oh, but you _are_ entertaining, either way." He said, pulling her close to him, "Very. Entertaining." he whispered in her ear._

_She shuddered as his breath tickled her ear._

"_Do you know what happened to that child?"_

_Sakura was silent._

"_She is no more, and all because you weren't good enough. The same flaw that brought you here to me killed that girl."_

_Sakura mustered her strength and ripped herself away from him. He laughed, but didn't pursue her as the darkness slowly faded away._

--

When Sakura woke up the first thing she saw was Gaara, sitting beside her bed. Only his gaze wasn't impassive this time. She sighed in relief. For a moment she had thought that her nightmare had followed her into the real world, but the concerned look on his face proved that wrong.

She sat up quickly, and he pushed her back down again, gently.

"The girl…?" She said, afraid to hear the answer. Afraid that the monster in her dream has been right.

He looked away, then shook his head.

Her breath hitched.

"I need to be alone."

He looked at her again, this time with a silent understanding as he got up and left the room.

She didn't know how long she cried, but by the time she had finished the sun was low in the sky and casting rusty colors across the landscape.

She got up and went to the window. She needed some fresh air, and she was feeling a lot less lightheaded than before. Gaara must have stayed in the next room at some point so neither of them would get sick.

She jumped out the window to the ground and headed to the edge of the city where Chiyoo baa-sama's grave lay.

When she arrived she knelt at the grave, deep in thought. What could she have done differently? Was there any way she could have saved that child? Her nightmare came back to her then, and what he had said… '_She is no more, and all because you weren't good enough. The same flaw that brought you here to me killed that girl.'_

She had failed the girl just like she failed Chiyoo baa-sama. If she hadn't gotten herself mortally wounded Chiyoo never would have had to use that technique on her…

"I'm sorry Chiyoo.." she said quietly.

"It isn't your fault, you know."

Sakura looked up, surprised. Chiyoo's brother stood behind her, hands clasped behind his back.

"She was just too damn stubborn, that's what got her killed. You had nothing to do with it." He said, walking up beside Sakura.

"But…"

"No buts! Trust an old man, he knows what he's saying!" He looked at her appraisingly, "You're just as stubborn as her, you know. I imagine that's why she liked you. You two were so similar in some ways."

Sakura nodded, and swiped the tears away from her cheeks.

"However, there's one important difference between you and her."

Sakura looked up at him.

"You and your companions have a compassion that extends past the barriers of your own village. It's people like you that bridge the gap and make alliances like the one between Suna and Konoha possible. That's why she wanted you to live. She knew we needed people like you for this generation."

Sakura was silent.

"But the girl…"

"You can't save them all. Compassion is all well and good but you have to remember that you are a Kuinochi as well. Use that strength to move on and grow stronger so you can save others in the future."

Sakura nodded and stood.

"Thank you." she said, her voice hoarse.

He waved his hand dismissively. Sakura chuckled and headed back into the city. Leave it to the eccentrically enigmatic village elder to lift her mood.

Yet the death of that little girl still weighed heavily on her. She couldn't let it happen again. She had died because Sakura had overexerted herself and depleted her chakra. Somehow she needed to increase her Chakra. She had heard there were ways and certain types of training that could do this but beyond that she had no idea.

She headed to the library. Maybe she could find some answers there.

--

After hours of research she had found almost nothing. Any of the ways she came up with were either short term, dangerous, or both. She knew there had to be a way, but what? Would she have to develop an entirely new technique?

She sighed.

"I didn't expect to see you here." said a voice behind her.

Sakura jumped and turned to the voice. It was Gaara.

"Don't _scare_ me like that!" she said. Gaara simply rose an eyebrow and picked up the book she had been studying.

"I hope you don't intend to actually try any of these techniques." he said.

Sakura sighed, "No, of course not. All of them are much too dangerous, and only apply to fighting and not healing. I'm trying to find a reasonable way to increase my Chakra but all I'm coming up with are things as dangerous as Lee's Lotus…"

"I may be able to help you." Gaara said, shutting the book and placing it back in it's shelf.

"How?"

"When the Shukaku was extracted from my body I lost a massive amount of chakra that I was used to having access to. In order to keep on using my techniques I needed to find a way to safely increase my chakra. With Temari and Kankuro's help I was able to come up with a training regime that did just that. It is difficult, and the results aren't as dramatic as you might hope…but it does help immensely in the long run."

Sakura stood.

"Then teach me." she said.

"It won't be easy." he warned.

"What, do you think I can't handle it?" Sakura said, her eyebrow twitching.

Gaara smirked.

"Oh that does it! I want you to start my training this instant!" Sakura huffed.

"Very well. But you have to agree to do _everything_ I say. If you deviate even a little the training could go foul." He said. Sakura sighed. Why was this beginning to look like a bad deal? But it was the best shot she had, so…

"Fine." she agreed, her mouth set in a line. She could take anything that infuriating redhead could dish out. Surely it couldn't be that bad.

He motioned her to follow him and they walked out of the library.

This was turning out to be a very eventful day…

--

Sorry for the long wait guys! I had a super major writers block which I cleared away with explosives...woohoo! Also silly College and whatnot. As always I really look forward to your reviews (feedback is the reason I write -) and any comments/suggestions on my writing or art is greatly appreciated! There are 26 of you who have my story on story alert - so I expect you all to review or I might trash the project! Dun dun DUNNNN (well no, not really, but darnit, review .)

Illustration: http : / innerflame00 . deviantart . com / art / Cling - on - 100832834


	5. Insomnia

-1Belated Merry Christmas to you all!

So, guess what? I've thought of the perfect music for my dream sequence scenes with Sakura and her tormentor. Look up 'Blood theme' from the series Dexter on you tube and listen to that while reading those scenes - it fits perfectly! (in my opinion - let me know if you feel the same!)

--

**Bonds**

**Chapter Five: Insomnia**

--

_Surely it couldn't be that bad._ Famous last words. She should have known better; if Gaara said it was difficult then the reality would be that it was near impossible.

In theory the training was fairly simple. Chakra was like a muscle; the more you used it the stronger it got. In order to build physical strength muscles actually have to tear so that new muscle forms over it. In the same way, building chakra required the individual to strain themselves to the very limit of hakra exhaustion on a regular basis to build new chakra. Of course there was a limit to everyone's potential; just like muscular structure it could only get as strong as your body could handle. Any more and your body would begin to break down just like when Lee used his lotus technique. Still; very few ninja actually reached their full chakra potential.

Oh, she _understood_ the mechanics. She was a healer, how could she not? It was the creatively torturous ways that Gaara had come up with to reach this Chakra exhaustion that she didn't quite get.

Then again, this was _Gaara_ she was talking about.

At that very moment she was balanced on a pole that wasn't even as thick as her wrist. As if that were not bad enough she was outside in the desert wind, on top of a _roof_. It took all of her concentration and ridiculous amounts of chakra just to keep herself somewhat steady.

Gaara watched her, his gaze cool and unwavering. Idly she wondered what more he had in store. This was apparently the easiest of all the training exercises in the regimen.

A strong wind nearly knocked her off her perch but she was able to steady herself at the last moment.

She heard Gaara get up.

"Where are you going?!" She asked in a panicked tone.

"To get some food. Considering how much you badger me to eat I'd have thought that you would be happy about that fact."

"What if I fall?!"

"Don't fall." He said firmly, and with that he was gone. Sakura cursed under her breath. Of course he would pull something like this…

Her consternation made her lose focus and she nearly fell off again. She quickly steadied herself, putting thoughts of that infuriating redhead out of her mind.

"Oi Sakura! What are you _doing_ up there?" A voice called from below. Sakura looked down to see Kankuro looking up at her.

"Training. What _else_ would I be doing up here?" she yelled back, exasperated. He jumped up to where she was.

"What kind of training?" He asked, leaning on the pole.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" Sakura said between gritted teeth.

"Nope! This is my lunch hour. You have me all to yourself right now." He said cheerfully. Sakura sighed.

"Shouldn't you…oh, I don't know…be eating _lunch_ during your lunch hour?"

"Why Sakura! From your tone I would think you weren't happy to see me; but that couldn't _possibly _be true…?" He asked, a pout on his face. Sakura rolled her eyes. She was about to come up with a cutting remark when a strong wind knocked her off her perch. She was just barely able to grab the pole in time and she slid the rest of the way down.

"You made me lose my concentration!"

He smirked, as if it were a compliment.

"I know."

Sakura scowled.

"I could have fallen off the roof and died!"

"What do you take me for? I wouldn't let that happen." Kankuro said, in a mock hurt tone.

"What do you want?"

"Honestly? I just wanted to see how you were doing after…well, you know."

Sakura rubbed her temples, fending off a headache.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm a medic-nin. This isn't the first patient that I've lost. If anything it just helps my resolve to become a better ninja."

He didn't seem convinced, but he didn't press her either. Sakura concentrated Chakra in her feet and started walking back up the pole.

"Why don't you stop for lunch?" Kankuro asked.

"I don't have time for lunch."

"Hypocriiiite!"

Sakura ignored him and continued up the poll; but before she reached the top her chakra gave out and she plummeted to the ground.

This time Kankuro caught her.

"Looks like you've reached your Chakra exhaustion for the day already; perhaps it's time for lunch after all?" He noted with a smirk.

"I haven't been getting as much sleep lately!" She said defensivly at the word 'already'.

She wriggled out of his grasp and nearly fell to the ground in an undignified heap. She fought off a wave of dizziness as she steadied herself on the wall next to her. She knew she would have held out longer normally, but the lack of sleep was affecting her more than she cared to admit.

Kankuro linked her arm in his and made a few hand signs.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking you to lunch, of course."

"What is with you people and the impromptu teleportations?!" Sakura gasped as she found herself in the marketplace once again.

"Well you didn't look like you could handle roof-jumping at the moment and I'm not one for walking the streets." he said with a shrug and a cocky smile.

"You could have warned me." Sakura grumbled. If she didn't die first from the crazy training Gaara had in mind then she would probably die of heart failure from simply being around him and his family.

"That wouldn't be any fun, now would it?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. She was beginning to see that sadism, as well as insanity ran in the family.

Thankfully this time it didn't take twenty minutes of walking to find the right food stand. Kankuro was much more decisive than his little brother and immediately picked a stand that offered a multitude of different foods.

"You know, he has a lot of respect for you." Kankuro said after a moment of silence.

Sakura looked up, confused.

"What?"

"Gaara."

"He has a funny way of showing respect." She said with a snort.

"He is a bit obtuse, I admit." Kankuro said with a chuckle, "but it's the truth."

"Why would he respect me? Of all my teammates I'm the weakest link; even after all my training I just can't live up." She said derisively.

Kankuro shook his head, "Don't say that, it's a bad mindset to get yourself into. If you think that long enough eventually it becomes true. Trust me; I know."

Sakura looked over to him, mildly surprised.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. How could someone as fantastically excellent as me understand? Well I wasn't always this awesome." He said with a catlike grin. Sakura rolled her eyes.

His expression became more serious.

"Gaara was always the special one; the supreme weapon that couldn't be defeated. Temari picked up new techniques so quickly that the teachers could barely keep up. Me? I had excellent chakra control but in every other area I lacked significantly. So I took up the puppets." He shrugged, "But now It's my specialty and I'm the best puppeteer in Suna" He winked at her.

She couldn't help but to giggle at his goofy look and she felt her mood lift just a little.

"So, taking a break already?" A voice behind them asked. Sakura jumped.

"Oh come on Gaara, it's not like she's slacking off. She wouldn't even be eating lunch now if her Chakra hadn't run out." Kankuro said, coming to her defense.

She cringed at his admission of her weakness. He meant well but he wasn't exactly making her look good. Gaara raised an eyebrow.

"Well then you can rest by coming back to the office. We have a meeting that we must attend."

She groaned and got up. She knew she couldn't evade those old codgers forever…

---

Sakura sighed as she let the shower wash over her. The village elders had actually asked her for her input today on a few issues and the deluge of paperwork hadn't been quite as tedious. She idly wondered if that was a good or bad sign. Despite the constant lack of sleep she was becoming used to things only after a few days.

She rubbed shampoo into her hair and then leaned against the shower wall. She was so exhausted; but every time she slept He was there. If only she could just…close her eyes…and rest…

She felt a hand lightly caress the small of her back. Her eyes flew open with a start and she clutched the soap holder behind her so she wouldn't fall.

"_Sakura…"_

She looked frantically around the shower and peeked her head out into the bathroom but no one was there.

She shook her head to clear it and stepped out of the shower. It was nothing. She was just tired, and her mind was playing tricks, that's all.

When she left the shower Gaara was already there in the room, in his customary window spot.

"How are you feeling?" He asked without looking over to her.

"I'm fine."

He was silent. It was clear he didn't believe her answer, but he wasn't going to press the issue.

Sakura tucked herself into bed. Why, she didn't know. At the very least, she supposed her body would get some rest; but other than that it was an exercise in futility. She sighed to herself, and burrowed underneath the blankets.

What was Naruto doing right now? Probably by now they would have already completed the information gathering mission. She wondered how he was getting along with their new Teammate, Sai. She had only seen him in passing before she left for Suna but he'd given her an odd feeling.

She closed her eyes. It would do her no good to think about this right now. Tsunade would send her an update when anything happened, and she would know for sure then.

---

Four frustrating weeks passed. Her team fought Orochimaru, and then they found Sasuke only to lose him again. They had come so close, Naruto had almost died, and she was _still_ stuck in Suna unable to do anything to help. The only thing she was able to take solace in was the fact that the training Gaara was putting her through, though tedious and tiring, was having an effect. Slowly, she was seeing some improvement.

She was falling into her place as "top medical consultant" very well…and she was doing better than she could have imagined. After weeks of effort she had eventually won the trust and respect of the village elders and they were actually taking her advice. More surprising was the fact that she found she was able to give good advice…with constant pointers from her Shishou in their correspondence she was getting better each day. The elders were even considering forming a training program for medical ninja like Sakura, but that was still in the works.

She and Gaara were even becoming more comfortable with each other. There seemed to be a silent understanding between them…though that didn't mean they had stopped clashing from time to time.

At the moment she was cursing at him under her breath as she was currently using her chakra enhanced strength to hold up a boulder about as big as a house.

Her arms trembled with the effort, and it was all she could do to stay focused through the pain. It was one thing to smash a boulder…that just took a moment of concentration. But to continually use it like this took a huge amount of effort.

Her arms buckled as her chakra gave out, and she managed to throw it aside just in time.

"Whoah! Watch it there!" Kankuro jumped out of the way, "Yeesh, you really are gung-ho about this aren't you?"

Sakura wiped the sweat off her forehead.

"It's a great way to work off steam after those meetings." She said with a crooked smile.

Kankuro chuckled.

"Speaking of which, Gaara wants you to meet him at the office. Something about a last minute meeting."

Sakura's eyes widened in horror.

"But…we just got out of a four hour meeting…how could we need another-"

Kankuro burst out laughing.

"Oh, you should have seen the look on your face! Priceless! In fact, I - eep!" Kankuro dodged as Sakura threw another rather large boulder at him, "Not completely exhausted yet, are you?"

Sakura shrugged, "What can I say, you _motivate_ me."she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

She headed back inside.

"In all seriousness, Gaara is holding a special dinner tonight. Something about one of the Elder's birthdays…so be ready at seven sharp."

Sakura nodded and disappeared into the hall.

As soon as she was out of sight she allowed herself to slump. She didn't believe it was possible to go this long without sleep, but she hadn't slept more than fifteen minutes at a time for nearly a month. It was beginning to seriously take its toll on her, but she didn't want to worry anyone with it. There was nothing they could do about it, after all.

Her field of vision wavered suddenly, so she stopped at the side of the hall for a moment to rest. Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment and she felt something brush against her cheek.

"_Sakura…"_

Her eyes flew open and she started walking down the hall again at a brisk pace. She had to ignore it. It had been happening on and off all week, mostly when she was close to sleep. She knew she wasn't crazy; it just had to be sleep deprivation causing hallucinations.

Was this the life that Gaara led? How much worse was it when Shukaku was still within him? She couldn't imagine an entire lifetime of this; she was close to her limit at a month. _No wonder he was as crazy as he was_, she mused. She found she held a new respect for the stubborn redhead, as he somehow drew himself together despite everything.

She wobbled into the room and then to the adjoining shower, turning on the water as cold as it would go. The water prickled her skin like icy little darts, and the sensation helped to bring her back to the real world. She sighed and turned it a little warmer, briskly scrubbing off the sweat of her workout.

She thought she was doing better until a sudden wave of dizziness overtook her and she slid down, unable to keep herself upright. She tried to hold on to consciousness by concentrating on the sensation of water on her skin…

_The water from the shower stopped. The droplets of water lay frozen in their place, like tear shaped gems. Tentatively she touched one and it fell, hitting the ground with a splash that echoed through the silent bathroom._

_All was completely still; not a thing moved, except herself. _

_She stepped out of the shower, and pulled on her clothes. She reached for the doorknob, but found that moving was getting harder; like walking though molasses. Her hair was suspended about her head like a pink halo as her movement came to a complete stop._

_Hands snaked around her waist from behind and drew her close to a hot body._

"_I haven't seen you in a while my sweet, have you been hiding?"_

_She shivered as he nuzzled her neck, "Tsk tsk…naughty one…"_

"_You shouldn't do such things, you'll hurt my feelings" He said, his tone cold and threatening. His hand dragged across her stomach, leaving lines of bright red. She flinched but refused to cry out. _

"_You can't hold out forever, and when you're weaker I don't need to wait for you to sleep…"_

_Sakura tried to get away from his grasp but her movements were still infuriatingly slow._

"_Who are you?!" She asked through gritted teeth. The wound on her stomach slowly seeped blood, droplets joining the water suspended in the air._

_He chuckled darkly._

"_And here I thought you would have figured it out by now…" He drew his finger lightly across her stomach and brought his finger to his mouth, "Those foolish Akatsuki think they can seal us, but they're wrong. People throughout the years have tried to use our power and they all failed…what makes them think they can do any better? It's only a matter of time…"_

"_Shukaku…" Sakura whispered in sudden realization._

_He turned her to face him, his golden eyes gleaming._

"_They didn't take into the account that one of the host's would survive…nor that there would be two linked to me. You're my ticket out of here sweet one."_

_Sakura struggled, but his grip on her was too tight._

"_No…"_

"_I don't know how I can use this, but I will…and when I do we can finally meet for real…" _

_Then he captured her mouth in a savage kiss. He tasted of blood and smoke, coppery and sharp. Sakura tried to pull away but he nipped her lip, sucking on it lightly._

_Sakura fought back revulsion as her body responded to him, and she felt tears beading at the corners of her eyes. He stopped suddenly, and pulled away._

"_You…"_

"Sakura wake up!" Someone shook her.

Sakura's eyes fluttered open and she yelped in surprise to see Temari standing over her.

"T-temari…what…"

"Gaara was worried about you so he sent me in here to see if you were ok…looks like his hunch was right." She helped Sakura up and handed her a towel.

Sakura dried herself off and quickly shrugged on her clothes.

"Hunch about what?"

Temari paused as if she was about to say something, then shook her head, "I'll let Gaara talk to you about it. Anyway, there's a dress on the bed, and the dinner starts in an hour."

She turned to leave, then stopped.

"Sakura?"

"Yes?"

"If you ever need someone to talk to that isn't a half crazed puppeteer or former Jinchurriki then I'm here."

"Thank you Temari…that means a lot."

Temari nodded and walked out of the room. Sakura smiled to herself. Kankuro had told Sakura it would take a while…but he had been right. It was good to know she would have another girl to talk to from now on.

_---_

The dinner was an extravagant affair, but at least this time there was no dancing. More than anything it was a political show to honor the elder's birthday.

Sakura noticed Gaara giving her meaningful looks all through the dinner; his gaze on her was probing and intense…it made her nervous. She wished she could escape to her own room after the dinner, but that was out of the question of course. She knew the minute they were alone there would be questions and the last thing she wanted to do was to talk about what was happening. She knew it was foolish and selfish. Her memory of her blackout and His words was blurry…it was frustrating because she knew he had said something important but she couldn't place it. But the thing she did remember is that the beast was indeed Shukaku. If the he was still connected to Gaara and thus her..he should know about it.

He hadn't seemed to notice…then again he could hold out from sleep much longer than her. Not to mention Shukaku had mentioned a preference for her…perhaps he hadn't bothered with Gaara in all this time.

Sakura held back a sigh as the guests got up to leave. She purposefully chatted with Kankuro and Temari until Gaara left, hoping this would give her a chance to escape.

When she entered their room Sakura changed in the bathroom, and then as quickly as she could she jumped under the blankets.

"Sakura."

She sighed. So much for escape. Feigning sleep would be a useless effort, but hell if she wasn't going to try.

"Sakura." He said, his voice more stern. Despite herself she fought back a giggle…he sounded like her father when she had done something naughty.

Suddenly the blanket was off of her, and Gaara was standing over her with his arms crossed. Sakura grumbled and got out of the bed, walking over to the window.

"You haven't been sleeping." He stated. Sakura didn't say anything, choosing instead to look out at the city.

In an instant was in front of her. She jumped and clutched her chest.

"Don't DO that!" she gasped.

"I'm not blind. You can't hide it from me; this past month you've been suffering and you haven't said a word to me. Not since that night. I told you I want to help, but how can I do that when you keep pretending everything is fine?" His voice was deadly quiet, to the point where she almost couldn't hear him.

She looked away, but he grabbed her face, forcing her to look into his eyes. An electric sensation hit her at the contact of his skin. Her vision blurred…

"_Give it up boy." A dark, familiar voice chuckled._

_Gaara was there, no older than four, shivering and crying in a dark corner._

_Between his sobs he said something, but it was too indistinct for Sakura to hear. However, Shukaku must have heard because he burst into peals of crazed laughter._

"_She's the reason you got worked up enough to let me out…and you want her to come back?" He laughed again, and Gaara covered his ears._

"_Shut up, shut up!"_

"_I'm the one in control. Soon enough I'll fully awaken…and then no one will be able to stop me. _Then_ I'll have some fun! Oh, I just can't wait!" His eyes gleamed._

Sakura gasped, and Gaara's eyes widened. He let go of her face and she stumbled back.

"W-what…" Sakura stuttered. The sensation had been strange. For just a moment she felt as if…

"What have you been hiding from me?" He asked, his voice hoarse.

"What do you mean?" She asked. He stalked over to her again.

"I saw it. Your nightmares. You have nightmares about _me_." He said, his eyes cold.

What she saw…was that something that happened in Gaara's mind? But how…?

"You…saw…?"

He nodded slowly, his eyes still fixed on hers.

"It isn't you…it's…" Sakura paused. She didn't want to tell him. He had finally been able to get free of Shukaku…now to find out that he actually wasn't…

"Then who?" his eyes narrowed dangerously.

She had no choice. She looked down at the floor.

"It's Shukaku. He's…somehow still linked to you so…he's also linked to me. I didn't realize until this afternoon that it was him…but he's been coming to me when I sleep ever since our connection has been formed."

Tears formed in her eyes.

"He takes your form…because he likes to toy with me."

Gaara growled, and stalked over to the nearby table, flinging it across the room where it shattered into hundreds of pieces when it hit the wall.

Sakura's eyes widened at his sudden act of violence.

He swore, then looked back at her.

"You should have told me sooner!"

The tears that had been gathering started to fall.

"I didn't want to bother you!"

"I _told_ you I wanted to help! This isn't your burden to bear, you shouldn't have to deal with _him_!" He spat.

"Well there's nothing you _can_ do about it! If you dealt with it your whole life then I can deal with it now." She said stubbornly.

"NO!" Sakura was taken aback by the force in his voice. He came over to her, and looked her straight in the eyes. His gaze was intense.

"_No one _should have to go through what I went through. I _won't _let him hurt you again."

Sakura was shocked into silence.

Gaara turned away, suddenly confused. Why was he so protective of her? He didn't understand this need to keep her safe that was rising within him. And how had he seen her nightmare? Had she seen something as well?

"What happened?" Sakura asked suddenly, breaking his reverie.

Gaara shook his head.

"I don't know, but I think for our safety we need to investigate this further."

Sakura got up and took his hand. He looked at her questioningly.

"Whatever it is, it's triggered by touch…but not always since right now nothing is happening. Maybe it only happens when one of us has an extreme emotion?" She let go of his hand.

Gaara shook his head and started to pace.

"Has there been any word from the Hokage? Has she found any new possible solution to our problem?" Gaara asked.

"No…no luck yet." Sakura paused, then added, "I'm sorry to be such a burden."

"It's the other way around." He said, turning towards her, "I'm the burden to _you_."

He averted his eyes, "…and that is not acceptable."

After a moment Sakura chuckled. Gaara looked up, surprised.

"Lets just settle on the fact that we're both pains in the asses to each other and be done with it, ok?" She said, settling down into bed.

After a moment he nodded, his lips quirking into the slightest of smirks.

"We can wait until tomorrow to inform Temari and Kankuro of the situation with Shukaku…until then…try to rest Sakura."

The last part was said so quietly that she almost didn't catch it.

She nodded, and closed her eyes. She would try, that was the least she could do.

----

So what did you think? From here on out, the story is going to branch off on it's own so pretty much figure Naruto is in training back in Konoha right now, but the storyline is going to go a different way than in the series to keep things simple (for me).

Sorry it took so long - college finals are evil! The next chapter may be a while too since I'll be starting full time work…but I'll try my best! Thanks for your patience and again your reviews are greatly looked forward to and are my inspiration to continue on! Suggestions and comments are most welcome (on the art and the writing). I live for your words ^-^

Picture for this chapter (warning, slightly risqué): http:// innerflame00 . deviant art . Com / art / You - can - t - hide - 107583680


	6. Blood Memory

**AN: Sorry this chapter took so long guys! A lot has happened in my life lately, graduated, got a job, got fired, got another job, and finally things are settling down so here I am! I made this chapter twice as long as way of apology for the wait. Enjoy, and let me know what you think about how things are turning out (I had major writers block so I'm hoping this doesn't suck!)**

**Bonds**

**Chapter Six: Blood Memory**

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**

Sakura awoke to a throbbing headache. It was so bad her body seemed to throb along with it. At least that's what she thought until she realized her body was bouncing up and down on Gaara's hard shoulder.

Fully awake now she jerked up, effectively releasing her from Gaaras grasp. She cursed to herself as she hit the burning hot sand. What was going on? This was not her room and it certainly was not a dream – her bruised bottom told her that. She looked up to see Gaara now standing over her, his hand reached out towards her and his eyes gleaming with impatience.

She brushed his hand aside and stood on her own, almost losing her balance as she wasn't prepared for the heavy weight of the pack on her shoulders. She saw that Gaara too had a pack laden with supplies. She glared at him, not even knowing where to begin.

"We don't have much time. I would appreciate it if you could ask your questions as we continue."

Sakura looked around in all directions. Suna was nowhere in sight. Gaara had to have carried her all night to get this far; the sun was just now peeking over the edge of the horizon.

She folded her arms and dug her feet into the ground.

"You're going to tell me just what you were thinking while we go back to Suna you lunatic!"

Gaara didn't even flinch at high pitch of her voice.

"As you wish." Within an instant she was again over his shoulder as he sprinted at full speed – still clearly away from Suna.

Sakura felt a lurch of nausea when his shoulder dug into her stomach.

"Let me down, I'll go with you." She said exasperatedly, not wishing to hurl. Although it would be a fitting revenge.

Surprisingly he didn't argue with her. He must have thought she wouldn't try to run the other way – or knew that he was faster than her so it was pointless.

"All right, what the hell are you doing?" Sakura said between gritted teeth as they sped along the sands surface.

"If I informed the village elders of my...situation...they would be torn between re-implanting Shukaku or destroying it. Either way both parties would insist that I stay here while others take care of it and I can't allow any more Suna nin to die for my sake." He paused, then looked back at her, "I am sorry I had to take you along, if it were up to me I would take care of this task alone."

Sakura was silent as she stared grimly ahead. After a moment she said, "What about Suna? They need their Kazekage to be there at all times, now more than ever."

"Which is why it's so important I take care of this now. In order to best serve Suna I need to be free of Shukaku forever."

Sakura slowly felt the anger drain away. How could she stay angry at someone who was so self-sacrificing? Yet the danger he was putting himself in right now was supreme. The best she could do was to back him up one hundred percent. If Suna was Gaara's responsibility, then Gaara was now hers. For the sake of Suna she had to keep him alive and well.

"How do you know where you will find him? When we get there how will we get past Akatsuki? I hope you've planned this out."

"Shukaku will come to me when I am close enough."

"How could you possibly know that?" Asked Sakura incredulously.

"A gut-feeling."

"Flying off half cocked and going on a gut feeling...I think Naruto has rubbed off on you, and not in a good way." she said with a sigh. Gaara chuckled.

"Trust me."

It was amazing how those two simple words make her worry even more. She shook her head with a sigh. There would be no dissuading him. This man had no sense.

After fifteen hours of constant travel she had to remind him that he was human; I.E she was dog tired. With much reluctance on Gaara's part they picked a spot under a rock face to get a couple hours of rest. Both of them knew they wouldn't sleep; but at least they would be able to rest their bodies and eat. Despite this fact, Gaara insisted stubbornly that she sleep while he take watch.

Sakura sat herself on the top of rock face above him.

"You know I won't be able to sleep. Besides, why risk that bastard of a Tanuki visiting me in my dreams?" She snorted, "I'd rather suffer your company than his, thanks."

Gaara gave her a look of extreme impatience but he didn't press her further. Inwardly Sakura was cheering. _About time he recognizes me as a person that can make her own decisions!_

He must have noticed the impudent cat-like grin on her face because he rolled his eyes. Sakura nearly giggled. It might have just been the exhaustion, but seeing _the_ Gaara of the sand making such a normal human expression was hilariously novel to her.

"What exactly is it that you find so very funny?" he said, eying her suspiciously.

"Nothing!" She suppressed another giggle at his consternation.

"I'll never understand you females. At least Temari never laughs for no good reason."

"Just because you don't know the reason doesn't mean it's not a good reason." Sakura said, sticking out her tongue.

Gaara just grumbled indistinctly.

Sakura couldn't help it. He was pouting. She burst out laughing.

"What?!"

"You! You're pouting!"

"I'm doing no such thing." He said indignantly.

"Then why is your lower lip clearly stuck farther out than normal, hmm?" Sakura said keenly.

He bit his lower lip, as if reigning in an errant dog who had gotten out of the house without his owner knowing. This only sent Sakura into more peals of laughter. She was laughing so hard that she didn't notice the shifting of rocks beneath her until she fell from the rock face and into the soft sand below.

"Eep!" She cried as her rump met the sand for the second time that day.

Now Gaara was the one laughing. Sakura glared at his upsi-down face.

"You did that, didn't you?" She accused.

He held up his hands, as if that would prove his innocence. The smug, self-satisfied look on his face said otherwise.

Sakura got up, jostling the sand out of her hair. She headed towards Gaara with evil intent in her eyes but as soon as she got within punching distance he disappeared in a swirl of sand.

"You play dirty!" Sakura complained.

"What gave you the impression that I played 'nice'?" Gaara said from directly behind her. She jumped and stumbled back, nearly falling again. However, this time Gaara caught her.

"You know what your problem is?" He said, still holding her in place.

Sakura furrowed her brow. The last thing she wanted was a lecture from him after he caught her off guard and essentially reminded her that at any time he could get the upper hand. Couldn't she just continue under the false impression that she stood a chance against him? No, of course not.

"Your problem," He continued, "Is that you let your emotions muddle your senses. You're a very skilled ninja but that doesn't matter when you get flustered."

Suddenly she was aware of how close he was to her. His firm grasp on her arms, the heat of his body pulsing against the cold of the desert night. She blushed, and tried to pull away from him. Never mind that he was right, on top of that he was producing the most disturbing sensations within her and that just wasn't fair. She brushed up against him in the process of trying to remove herself from his grip, and his breath hitched suddenly.

Her heart fluttered in her chest when he didn't allow her to pull away, and his grip tightened.

"Gaara -" She started, but she didn't have time to finish as he drew her closer, their bodies now pressed together. This flooded her with a wash of completely unwelcome but nevertheless very pleasant sensations. By the way that his breath quickened at the contact she knew that he was feeling the same.

His arm snaked around her, pressing her more firmly against him. He brought his mouth to her neck and paused, as if contemplating something. She could feel his hot breath on her skin, sending shivers down her spine.

"Gaara...let me go..." She said weakly, half of her screaming for her to say the opposite. Inner Sakura had awoken from her long slumber and was now shouting at her, _NO NO NO! The right words are "Take me now!"_

Gaara shook his head and let her go, stumbling back as if he had just snapped out of a trance.

"I am sorry." He said, and jumped up to the rock face, settling there cross-legged, "I will keep watch, you should sleep" He said as if nothing had just transpired. His face was infuriatingly blank as he stared out into the desert. The least he could do would be to muster up a decent blush after what he just pulled!

Sakura considered telling him off but then realized that she didn't want to talk about it either. Whatever had just happened was better left alone.

It didn't take them long after that to reach the edge of the desert.

Soon they were surrounded on all sides by thick, green trees. Taller and older than the ones around Konoha. Everything was covered with vines and foliage...but something wasn't right about the place. It took her a while to figure out, but eventually she caught on. It was completely silent. Not a single bird, or any other animal populated this forest. The only sounds was the crunch of old bark under their feet as they jumped from tree to tree.

"Gaara..."Sakura started, uneasy.

"I know." He said, keeping his eyes in front of him.

Sakura was getting a perturbing sensation that she was falling down a well, being pulled into somewhere that she wouldn't be able to get out. It was almost to a physical point of vertigo. Something flashed before Sakura's eyes.

_Darkness. Red. Blood._

It was gone as soon as it came. For a second she had felt as if she were somewhere else. She glanced over to Gaara to see if anything had affected him. Not only did he seem unaffected, but he had a glint in his eye that was somewhat familiar...but she couldn't place how.

_A heartbeat. A coppery smell in the air, hot and musty and filled with life and death._

She shook it off, then abruptly held out her hand in front of Gaara. He stopped, but barely so, not even bothering to look at her.

Something was very wrong. The stench of blood was in the air and this time it wasn't her imagination. The air was saturated with it. A battle had taken place here not long ago; and a gruesome one at that. Yet she saw no evidence of it. Ahead of them was nothing but more of the same; trees covered in vines, foliage covering the ground. It couldn't have looked more innocuous if it had tried...but it was anything but. When she looked closer she could see the area almost seemed to glow with and aura of killing intent...it was so saturated with it that it was impossible to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from.

Gaara suddenly leapt forward, and started digging madly at the ground.

"Gaara! What are you doing?!" Sakura hissed, glancing around warily. The last thing she wanted to do was to alert whatever had done this to their presence.

He didn't reply. Sakura ran towards him and almost stumbled over something. She glanced down to see a hand with an Akatsuki ring on it. She leapt away from it but then noticed with horror that it was not alone.

She hadn't seen before because they were ripped into such small pieces that the foliage had covered their remains. Only the tatters here and there of their robes informed her of their origin. It was...everywhere. How many had them fought this unknown foe? What WAS it that it ripped these men apart as if they were paper dolls? The stench of blood was overwhelming, it coated the ground like some sort of sick rain.

Sakura grabbed Gaara's shoulders, intent on dragging him from this place. Suddenly the world was turned upsidown and she...

_She was floating in a vast darkness. Droplets of water like pinpoints of light swirled around her and the air throbbed like the beating of a heart. She looked up and gasped; above her was a giant pair of jaws; the water twirling up into it darkening to a rusty crimson as it disappeared into the creature's maw. _

"_Come to me. Embrace me." It said, and she stared transfixed as she was pulled inexorably forward._

_Slowly it transformed into a dark figure, its arms outstretched._

"_Come." Darkly alluring, with a promise of the world in its embrace. It was inside her it was surrounding her, it WAS her and she was it. Its voice reverberated through her, suffusing her senses with darkness. _

_Only accept me and it will all be yours. All of it, together we can rip the world apart and put it back together just the way we want. BloodbloodbloodIwantbloodgiveittome. Everything you ever wanted, shining beautiful just for you, perfect forever. RiptearIwantout. _

_The jaws she could still see, just barely behind the figure, hiding, laying in wait. She was getting closer._

"_What...are...you? Shukaku?" Sakura managed to get out._

_Laughter split her head open. It filled her and exploded out of her, dark and masculine but light and feminine. _

_We. We savored their screams and dying threats. Oh, so sweet after so much waiting. BLOODeverywhereneeditfeelitpumpingout. Together we are strong, together we conquer. _

"_Let...us....GO!" Sakura roared with much more vigor than she knew she had._

_Laughter again, but this time she didn't just feel it...it was coming out of her own mouth._

"_You want us. Need us. Take us inside." She heard herself saying, "HE wants it."_

_She suddenly saw Gaara above her, chained and bleeding._

"_Weakness is not for him. It shouldn't be for you, either. You'll never have to feel weak again." Said Gaara's mouth. His eyes were open, but they were empty._

_Sakura's eyes widened in horror. She knew what happened if a Tanuki inhabited a body without a seal. It wasn't common knowledge, but the old pervert had taken her aside one day and explained to her why it was so important the seal stay on Naruto – and why if it ever came off she would have to kill him._

"I know this is hard to hear, but you're one of the people closest to Naruto so you have to hear it. If the seal ever breaks completely the nine-tailed fox would consume Nartuo's lifeforce and use it to regain its own physical form. This happens the very _instant_ the seal is gone – there is no time to act before it's too late. If the seal is gone, so is Naruto...even if it still looks like him. It will be weak for a few seconds as it begins to transform – this is why it's important to act fast..."

"Why? Why would we seal these monsters inside people if the danger is so great?" She had asked.

"Because they are a useful tool. Don't look at me like that, it's true. The villages all need anything they can get to have the edge. But more importantly, when they are sealed they cannot go to some unsuspecting fool and trick them into giving their lifeforce to them to take physical form. If they ever were to succeed the world as we know it would be gone forever.

_That's what was happening. That's what Shukaku...and whatever it is that merged with him...wanted. They had to be stopped. In order to take over her body she had to invite them in...even if they would kill her because she refused to give in Sakura knew she could not allow this danger to get out in the world. It was her duty as a healer._

_But what about Gaara? Was it already too late for him? Had he already made his choice? She knew he loathed being weak, longed to be the strong Kazekage his village needed. Were they able to fool him into thinking that he needed them?_

"_NO! Gaara wake up! Gaara SNAP OUT OF IT!" Sakura yelled, gaining back her voice. He shook his head, and for an instant his eyes cleared. _

"_Gaara it's a trap! They're going to consume us whole! You won't -" She was cut off suddenly, her voice leaving her._

_It was too late, she could feel herself drifting away. She could only hope that Gaara had made the right choice._

_Gaara ran through the desert at a speed that was inhuman for someone so small. At four years old he was faster than most of his village's top jounin…and for that he was thankful. If he hadn't been he would never have been able to escape._

_He was tired of those eyes. Hateful, fearful, all of them. The only one whose eyes were not was Yashamaru; but that would never make up for all the rest._

_Obviously they wanted him gone, so his only choice was to disappear._

_He didn't know how long he had been running, but the landscape was beginning to change. These tall, green things (he thought they were called 'Trees' but he couldn't be sure since he had only seen them in books) rose from the ground, which was quickly becoming darker and firmer._

_He decided it would be a good time for a rest once the trees overtook the sand and he was surrounded by green. Surely by now he was far enough away that anyone pursuing him would have given up._

_He settled by a tree, and was about to eat some of the food he had packed away for the journey when he heard a sound. A sort of soft mewling sound…was it some sort of animal? Cautiously he rose and approached the source of the sound. He parted the bush in front of him to see…a girl? Yes, it was a girl, about the same age as him. She had a shock of bright pink hair and was covered in dirt. Tears ran down her face leaving trails of wet through the grime. What was a girl doing out here in the middle of the forest? His surprise made him careless and he stepped on a twig._

_She looked up quickly, her bright aqua eyes a stark contrast against her dirt smudged face._

"_Who's there?" She called out. He was surprised by her tone. It wasn't fearful, but simply inquisitive. _

_Against his better judgment he decided that he wanted to know more about this strange little girl with pink hair._

_He stepped out of the bushes and showed himself to her. _

_Sakura looked up wide-eyed. _

_She had never seen anyone like him before. His hair was a dark copper red, and his eyes were rimmed with black. He looked at her with a frown on his face, his bright green gaze expectant…but she didn't know for what. Her parents had told her to be always wary of strangers, but ever since she had gotten horribly lost a day ago she hadn't seen a single human being. She was afraid and lonely and finally seeing another person made her so happy she did the only thing that any little girl would do in that situation._

_She ran up to him and hugged him._

_Gaara stood there in shock as the girl embraced him and cried on his shoulder. He had been expecting her to run, to vainly try to attack him, or at the very least bestow on him the same cold and hateful gaze that everyone else did. He had expected anything but this._

_Slowly he allowed his arms to wrap around her and he patted her back awkwardly, not sure if it was the right thing to do. The only reference he had was once when he had come crying to Yashamaru and he had done the same thing for him_

_Apparently it_ was _the right thing for the young girl's sobs started to die down and soon she became very quiet._

"_Girl?" He prodded, but she didn't answer. Her breathing had become slow and steady. She was asleep. _

----

Kankuro looked over to Temari, worry on his face.

"We lost visual of him over an hour ago, and I smell blood. This can't be good. We should have intercepted him long ago."

"Over there!" Temari shouted.

They ran up to the gruesome scene to find both Sakura and Gaara unconcious, convulsing out of control. Gaara seemed worse off, his arms and legs were in a constant flux...it almost looked as if...

"Shukaku." Whispered Temari.

"What? How could he...?"

"No time to waste. Kankuro, come here. We have to do it."

"But it hasn't been tested. Not at this distance!"

"If we don't Gaara will die and we will be in much more trouble then you can possibly imagine. Now do it!" Temari barked. Kankuros eyes grew serious, and he took out a knife, making a small slice in each fingertip. Temari did the same.

"If this doesn't work..."

"I know."

They began an intricate series of seals.

_I hope this works...Gaara just hold on. Kankuro thought._

-

_Gaara marveled at how easily sleep came to her, and how peaceful she was. Was this what sleep was supposed to be like? It looked comforting._

_He felt a slight stab of jealousy as he set the girl on the ground gently, giving her his pack as a pillow. Why couldn't he fall asleep like that? _

_Of course, he knew why. Every time he closed his eyes, It was there watching him. Waiting to devour him. The bits of sand that resided in the dirt started to stir as tears began to fall down his face. Why couldn't he be normal?_

_As if sensing his distress the young girl awoke, and sat up._

"_What's wrong? Can I help?" She asked sleepily._

_He stared at her, unsure what to say._

_No one had ever asked him that before; not ever. In fact, no one but Yashamaru had ever said more than four words at him and they had always been unkind._

_Before he could respond though, the girl was squatting down in front of him, a bright smile on her face._

"_I can fix it!" She said, and ran off._

_Gaara stood and watched her go, bemused. He was considering whether or not he should follow her when he heard a startled yelp. On impulse he ran to the source of the scream to see the girl halfway up a tree and dangling from a branch precariously by one hand. The other hand was closed around something he couldn't see. Why didn't she drop it and pull herself up? Maybe she couldn't reach?_

_She was slipping. If Gaara didn't do something she would fall and hurt herself. Maybe even die if she landed the wrong way. He reached up to her, and little bits of sand came up from out of the dirt, wrapping around her arm and gently lifting her off the tree and down onto the ground._

_The girl just sat there with a bewildered look on her face, and Gaara feared the worst. She would run like the other children, run and call him a monster. _

_But she didn't move. She just blinked, then looked up at him._

"_Did you do that?"_

_He nodded sadly._

_A smile broke out on her face, radiant and full of gratitude._

"_Then you saved me! Thank you!"_

_Gaara looked at her wide eyed. She wasn't going to run? On the contrary, she walked closer to him and offered her hand to him, the one that had been clutching something so protectively before._

_It was a flower._

"_See, see? I got it from that tree over there…" She pointed to the tree she had been dangling from, "It's a Sakura blossom, and that's what I was named after! Seeing flowers always helped me when I was sad so I thought it would help you too!"_

_He took the flower, then noticed the cuts on her arms. She must have gotten them from climbing the tree, but she gave no indication of pain as she beamed at him._

"_What's your name?" she asked, and plopped herself down by the very tree she had moments before been facing her imminent demise._

_This girl was most unusual, but Gaara was beginning to realize that he did not mind that. He sat down beside her, placing the flower in his pocket._

"_Gaara." He answered. She wrinkled her nose._

"_That's a weird name."_

"_I'm not the one named after a flower." He huffed._

_Then something very strange happened. She laughed. _

_He looked at her astounded._

"_What are you doing?"_

"_I'm laughing silly."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because you're funny."_

"_I am?"_

"_Yup."_

_She was silent for a moment, then she said,_

"_I like you Gaara. Can we be friends from now on?"_

_He looked at her to see a genuine smile on her face and he felt something rise in him that was completely unfamiliar, a light feeling inside his chest. He smiled back at her._

"_Sure!"_

_Suddenly he heard a loud growling. He stood up quickly, but there was no wild animal nearby. He heard a nervous giggle and looked down at Sakura._

"_I'm sorry, that was my stomach." She said, her face turning red._

_Then he laughed for the first time in all his four years._

"_Hey! It isn't funny!" Sakura insisted, turning more red. He stopped laughing, and his face turned serious, almost comically so._

"_I have food. You should eat." he said._

"_You do?" Her eyes lit up so dramatically that he almost laughed again._

_He pulled some bits of cheese and dried meat he had packed and handed it to her. She munched on them happily._

"_You're the best Gaara!" She said as she finished her food. He flushed and looked away, unused to the unabashed praise she was giving him._

"_I-It's nothing." He said. She moved closer to him, and poked him. He looked over to her._

"_It isn't nothing. If you weren't here then I would be really sad and still alone. I'm glad you found me, Gaara," She yawned, "and if you hadn't found me I wouldn't have gotten good food…" She trailed off, and he found that she had again dropped off to sleep, her head resting lightly on his shoulder._

_Gaara looked back out into the forest, keeping watch. He would protect her for sure. He would let nothing hurt his new friend. Nothing._

_--_

Sakura was swimming in and out of consciousness. Someone was hovering over her, concerned voices, memories flitted past her. Memories? Were they memories? She was fighting something, someone, pounding at her head. It wanted in, or out? She didn't understand. She hurt everywhere.

"Sakura! Don't........you'll be.......can you............just…...fight it! She heard a voice say, before she fell back into oblivion.

---

_When Sakura awoke the next morning she found that her pillow hadn't moved an inch all night._

"_Gaara?" She said sleepily. He looked at her._

"_Did you sleep?" She wondered, noticing for the first time how pronounced the dark rims around his eyes were. He hesitated, then shook his head._

"_How come?" She asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes._

"_I don't usually sleep." He said._

"_But why?"_

"_I…have bad dreams." He said, looking away. _

_Sakura wanted to know more but didn't like that he was getting all sad again like yesterday, so she changed the subject._

"_It's hot out." She stated._

"_This isn't hot, not like during the day where I lived. The sun gets so hot that you can't even be outside sometimes."_

"_Really?" Asked Sakura, her eyes wide. She had to stay inside when it rained sometimes, but never was the sun so hot that she couldn't go outside._

_Gaara nodded._

"_Where do you live?"_

"_I used to live in the desert."_

"_Used to?"_

"_I don't wanna live there any more. People don't like me."_

"_Why not?"_

_Gaara was silent._

"_Well," said Sakura, "My momma always taught me that when I was lost that I should stay put. An' I got in trouble because I didn't listen at first and ended up here! So I'm gonna stay here until they find me, and when they do you can come live with us!"_

_Gaara looked up, his face hopeful._

"_Really?" his face fell, "But they won't like me…"_

_Sakura huffed._

"_Of _ course _they'll like you. You helped me a lot and you're nice." _

_Sakura seemed so sure of herself that Gaara believed her. Could he really belong somewhere?_

_After a moment of silence Sakura piped up,_

"_Well I _ still _think it's hot, so I'm gonna go swim. You want to come? There's a lake just over there." She pointed._

_Gaara nodded. Whatever swimming was, he was sure it had to be fun if Sakura liked it._

_When they got to the lake Sakura took off her shoes and jumped right in. Gaara marveled at seeing such a large amount of water in one place. He took off his shoes and tentatively poked one toe in. It was cool, but not cold. He walked in slowly, watching the dirt swirl around his feet with each step he took._

_Sakura swam back to the shallow end and ran up to him._

"_Come on, come where it's deeper!"_

_Gaara looked back at the land, somewhat hesitant._

"_It doesn't even go over your head, you'll be fine." Sakura insisted, taking his hand and pulling him in._

_As the water rose around him he began to feel lighter. He never thought this was what it would feel like being immersed in water. He had never even had a bath before - to conserve water they always had to shower. A bath was considered a luxury and available only to the Kazekage._

_Sakura started to paddle around him happily._

"_See, if you take your feet off the ground and kick and move your arms like this you can move. It's like flying almost, that's why I like it!"_

_He watched her move and tried to imitate that movement but almost fell face first into the water._

"_Not like that silly!" She said, laughing. Then she came up to him and placed a hand on his stomach. Gaara blushed at the sudden unexpected contact._

"_This is how my Dada taught me. Lift up your legs, and I can help you float." So with Sakura's hand steadying him, he learned the right way to move around in the water and soon he was doing well on his own._

_Sakura suddenly drew her hand through the water quickly, splashing water at him._

_To Gaara's surprise, the sand shield did not come to stop it and the water hit him right in the face._

_Sakura giggled._

"_You're it! Now come get me!" and with that she was off._

_She ran out of the water and into the forest, squealing with giggles the entire time._

_Gaara paused and then slowly got out of the water, giving her a moment to get a head start to be fair._

_Suddenly he heard her scream and he started, running over to the source of the cry as fast as he could. When he reached the clearing he saw Sakura backed up against a tree, facing off a large feline._

_The most fascinating thing was that she didn't have a trace of fear in her eyes. She held a sharp stick in front of her and had a look of fierce determination on her face. It wasn't enough though, he knew. The cat was much larger than her._

"_I won't let you get my friend!" She yelled, positioning herself in front of Gaara._

_Sakura was scared, but she wouldn't let the cat go after her new friend.. It lunged for her and she readied herself, but before it got halfway to her something tan rose in front of her like a wall…sand?_

_  
She heard a snarl and a dull thud. Then the cat bounded off into the forest, it's leg bleeding profusely._

_She looked up to see her new friend, his hand out in a strange position and a very intense look on his face. Had he saved her?_

_Gaara was sure that she would run now. Any time anyone saw his sand move they got scared and ran away. He hung his head and prepared for the inevitable._

_Sakura turned, then ran over to him, giving him a tight hug. He was surprised to see she was crying._

"_A-are you hurt?" he stuttered._

_She shook her head._

"_I'm just glad you didn't get hurt and I'm happy you saved me again. Thank you Gaara…"_

_Gaara didn't know what to say. She had tried to defend him with such determination in her eyes, she was worried about his well being. Is this what it meant to have a friend? He held her tighter. He would never let her go._

"_Don't worry Sakura, I'll always protect you, and I'll never get hurt."_

_Sakura looked up at him and smiled. _

"_Good!" She stepped away from him._

"_You're still it!" and with that she was off again. With a smile Gaara went running after her._

_--_

_Gaara awoke to the sound of someone's imminent approach. He stood up and looked out into the forest. He couldn't see anything but he could sense familiar presences closing in. Suna nin. They had found him._

_He knew that if they found Sakura they might hurt her, and he couldn't allow that to happen. He felt a cold rage take over him at the thought of having to return and losing his new friend. He wouldn't let them take him. He wouldn't let them take his new friend away. _

_Sand slithered up his arm and took hold. He wouldn't let them. He wouldn't let them._

–

"I won't let you!"

"Gaara, calm down! Someone hold him!"

"He's taking on Shukaku's form! Hurry and hold him down!"

"Watch Sakura, don't let him hurt her!"

"Don't touch her!" a roar.

Sakura couldn't focus. What was going on? There was still something pounding in her head, and her limbs were glowing a bright purple tinged with red.

_LET ME OUT/IN! _

It screamed and scratched away inside her, her mind felt raw from it.

"Jiraiya......time! Hurry........do....!"

Sakura strained to hear what was said next, but the thing eating away at her skull swallowed her back inside.

---

_Sakura woke to the sounds of battle._

_She couldn't see very well, but there was something large fighting several other figures. Then she noticed with panic that Gaara was gone. She stood up, trying to get a better view._

"_Gaara…?" She called out uncertainly. The large figure turned and she saw Gaara, covered with something on half of his body._

_Sakura gasped. Was that really Gaara?_

_One of the ninja took advantage of Gaara's momentary distraction to shoot a dart at him, but he dodged in time and it hit Sakura instead. She wobbled and fell, immediately unconscious._

_Gaara lunged forward and grabbed her, bounding through the trees. He had to get her to safety._

_Suddenly he was surrounded by unfamiliar ninja._

"_Sakura!" One of them cried out._

"_Get her away from that thing!"_

"_Let her go you monster!"_

"I said hold him!"

"I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HER AWAY!"

The voice from before was still there but barely noticable, and easily drowned out by the sounds of battle.

Faintly Sakura heard screams, but she didn't know now if she was experiencing memory or present as the pain inside of her melded everything together.

"Gaara, it's me! Don't let Shukaku take you over, you're stronger than him!" A familiar voice, but Sakura couldn't remember who.

She saw a blur of tan and then everything went black.

---

I hope you guys liked it! Let me know what you think, I worked really hard on this chapter so feedback would be really appreciated! Or if you're even still reading, because if no one is still reading there's no point in continuing to write this lol.

Link to chapter illustration: http:// innerflame00 . / art / It-always-makes-me-feel-better-142964334


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